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The case was referred back to the investigating officer with queries for further investigation. A decision will be taken after investigations are completed. - NPA

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Sizwe sama Yende

Limpopo Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Ivy Thenga, has referred a docket of fraud against a senior manager in Limpopo premier’s office back to the Hawks for further investigation.

Thenga’s action follows a complaint lodged by the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) after the charge of falsifying CV against labour relations director, Mbobole Michael Maseko, was withdrawn in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court about a month ago.

The union claimed that their key witness Norman Mavhunga’s affidavit was removed from the docket Court a few days before Maseko’s scheduled appearance on June 14.

They also claimed that the Hawks investigating officer, Warrant Officer Alex Mahlare, had been unavailable on the phone and he only sent a WhatsApp message to inform them of the withdrawal.

Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, confirmed that Thenga received Nehawu’s complaint.

“The case was referred back to the investigating officer with queries for further investigation. A decision will be taken after investigations are completed,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.

She however defended the state prosecutor in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court against any wrong-doing.

Nehawu had accused the prosecutor of ignoring three sworn statements from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), Sekhukhune TVET College and SADTU disputing claims that Maseko made in his CV.

Maseko had claimed in his CV that he had a diploma accredited by CCMA when he applied for the job in 2013. He claimed that he obtained the diploma after passing modules in substantive law, jurisdictional rulings, conciliations, managing dismissals, and arbitration 1 and 2. 

The CCMA denied this and explained that it only offered in-house training programmes, not qualifications registered with South African Qualifications Authority.

Maseko claimed that he was a council member of Sekhukhune TVET College and head of human resources. The college has confirmed that he was a council member but not human resources head.

SADTU denied his claim that he was SADTU’s Limpopo secretary from 1990 to 1995.

Nehawu is now expecting newly-appointed premier, Phophi Ramathuba, to take action after its complaints to Ramathuba’s predecessor, Stanley Mathabatha, fell on deaf ears.

The union suspects that the Hawks got cold feet because of its demand that Mathabatha and director-general, Nape Nchabeleng, should also be charged for doing nothing about the matter which they were alerted about four years ago.

Limpopo provincial government spokesperson, Ndavhe Ramakuela, insisted that an internal investigation found nothing wrong with Maseko’s representation in his CV.

“It has been more than a month since Mr Maseko returned to office. The office understands that there was no case against him to answer as the matter was withdrawn. It is for this reason that the  Director General would not have a basis to investigate Mr Maseko. In the first place, the Office of the Premier had conducted an investigation on the veracity of Mr Maseko's qualifications that was raised by the labour union and found that there was nothing wrong in Mr Maseko's representation,” Ramakuela said.

He said Ramathuba was due to be  given all reports including any outstanding labour cases.  “It is  only fair to expect her to either comment or give any directive after all the consultative processes,” said Ramakuela.