Sizwe sama Yende
A public servants’ labour union in Limpopo has now turned its attention on director-general, Nape Nchabeleng – urging Premier Stanley Mathabatha to take decisive action against him following the arrest of a senior manager for allegedly exaggerating his CV.
The Hawks arrested labour relations director, Michael Maseko, this week, four years after the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) lodged a complaint.
Nehawu said in a statement that Nchabeleng had abandoned his core responsibilities and duties of ensuring clean governance and administration.
“This (decisive action) would be the only honourable thing that the Premier could do in his remaining days as a premier. The arrest and court appearance of Mr Maseko absolves and vindicates the union, and in addition its leadership within the office of the Premier,” said Nehawu’s provincial secretary, Moses Maubane.
Maubane said that when the union reported the matter to Mathabatha, he dismissed the allegation as unfounded and confirmed that Mr Maseko‘s application had the necessary qualification proven by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and protected him for the misrepresentation he made in his CV.
Maseko embellished his CV by claiming that he had a diploma accredited by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) when he applied for the job in 2013.
Maseko did this despite having adequate qualifications and experience to get the job without the ‘CCMA diploma.’
He claimed in his CV that he obtained the diploma after passing modules in substantive law, jurisdictional rulings, conciliations, managing dismissals, and arbitration 1 and 2.
The CCMA has since distanced itself and explained that it only offered in-house training programmes, not qualifications registered with SAQA.
Maubane said that the union raised Mathabatha’s and Nchabeleng’s violation of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act by failing to report Maseko even after they were alerted about the CV.
“The Premier’s posture was equally supported by Mr Maseko and the Director-General, who said that the union was being disingenuous and claimed that branch officials of the union were trying to derail charges of misconduct against them. As NEHAWU, we are off the view that both the Premier and the Director-General have committed a criminal offence by failing in their duty to report a case of fraud and corruption even when they were aware that allegations exists that Mr Maseko committed acts of fraud and corruption,” he said.
Maubane said it was conclusive that Maseko’s continued employment had cost taxpayers about R11.3 million.
Limpopo government spokesperson, Ndavhe Ramakuela, said: “The matter involving Mr Maseko is currently in court and the Office of the Premier will await the outcome or judgement from the court. It is important to note that the Office will not be making any comments on the case until the legal process has been completed.”
Maseko’s CV, which The People’s Eye has seen, indicated that he held a diploma in labour law and had served as an arbitrator for various councils and even owned a consulting firm.
It is bizarre why he decided to misrepresent it. Maseko appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. The court remanded Maseko in custody until his bail application on April 23.