Housing audit needed to address access, accountability
by Andrew Louw MPL – DA Northern Cape Provincial Leader
Date: 06 July 2017
Release: Immediate
Type: Press Statement
The DA is to report Sol Plaatje Municipality to the Public Service Commission (PSC) following the unprocedural appointment of a close family member of the Sol Plaatje Mayor, Mangaliso Matika.
Although the position in which the family member has been appointed is not a critical post, the appointee does not have any of the scarce skills that would validate the municipality appointing someone on a headhunting basis.
In other words, there are no grounds for the Municipal Manager (MM), Goolam Akharwaray, to have appointed the relative of the Mayor without complying with standard Human Resource (HR) procedures, which include advertising the vacancy, the short-listing of potential candidates and the interview process by an officially constituted panel.
According to the municipality’s Director of Corporate Services, Ruth Seboletswe, it is the MM’s prerogative to make appointments when and where necessary. This, however, is contrary to HR policy which clearly sets out the processes to be followed when making new appointments.
The DA believes that Seboletswe has been pushed into a corner and is trying to defend a blatant case of nepotism.
The DA does not condone the ANC’s unwritten policy of jobs for family and pals. It cannot be that a connected few are granted special privileges based on who they know and not what they know.
In building a professional local government service, it is imperative that people employed by the state are fit for purpose and of the highest calibre, and not merely have ties with the highest paid politician in the institution.
The DA wants the PSC to evaluate Sol Plaatje’s HR policy and investigate the municipality’s adherence to this policy in respect of this dubious appointment.
Nepotism has no place in the public service.
Media Enquiries
Andrew Louw MPL
DA Northern Cape Provincial Leader
082 383 6914
Shelley De Witt
Researcher
082 847 1387
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