Johannesburg – The Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation is entangled in another employment scandal as insiders accuse Minister Lindiwe Sisulu of approving the appointment of 33 people at a cost of R23.5-million, despite the department having sufficient manpower.
A whistleblower, who cannot be named for fear of reprisal, told Sunday World this week that Sisulu’s department had hounded human resources to process the appointment on an urgent basis of about 33 staff members for a fixed period of 12 months, costing an estimated R23.5-million.
“Most of these appointments are people who have retired from public service and are not experts or classified under the critical skills component as the minister would like us to believe,” said the whistleblower.
Sunday World has also seen a confidential memorandum dated February 4 and authored by the department’s director-general Mbulelo Ntshangana that seeks Sisulu’s approval for the appointments to be set in motion.
Among those to be appointed is former Department of Housing director-general Itumeleng Kotsoane. He served under Sisulu in 2009. He will earn R1.2-million for 12 months’ work.
Another notable person on the list is Elroy Africa, who is the erstwhile director- general of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Another staffer said most of his colleagues have resorted to taking leave in order to frustrate and delay the process.
“Nobody wants to approve this thing because it is wrong. People are now weary because politicians escape accountability and always put public servants under the bus whenever an audit query has been picked by the auditors.”
In response , departmental spokesperson Mandulo Maphumulo said the recruitment process was above board and that the minister had nothing to do with it.
She added there was a budget allocation for the posts.
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