Jabu Ntsokolo Ishmael Mbalula. Photo: University of the Free State (UFS)
An investigative report into illegal appointment of staffers in the Free State’s Mangaung Metro Municipality exposed Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s older brother Jabu Mbalula as one of the ghost staffers who apparently costs the council millions in salaries every month, while never reporting for a single day of work.
Most of the African National Congress (ANC) cadre deployments took place after the 2021 municipal elections, when individuals identified as “skeletal staff” were signed up, often without appointment letters or contracts, in violation of the Municipal Systems Act.
The ghost workers received a total of R2.5 million in salaries in January alone.
For March alone , the salary bill had shot up to R9m as hired staffers increased from 125 to 165, the report showed.
The elder Mbalula is a former ambassador to Romania.
Him earning a cushy salary while not reporting for work or signing an attendance register is quite ironic, considering just last month his brother detailed how Prasa unearthed 3000 ghost employees who were on the company’s payroll but never set foot at work.
Mbalula told MPs that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), which falls under his ministry, became aware that it was paying full salaries to ghost workers in December.
The rail agency has since stopped the salary payments, after the recipients failed to show up during a verification process.
Since then, according to the minister, no one at Prasa has come forward to complain that they aren’t receiving their salary.
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The council recently authorised the appointment of an independent investigator, Matlho Attorneys to probe allegations of misconduct against the corporate services head David Nkaiseng in connection with unlawful staffing.
This came after complaints from top officials on staff complements that were seemingly non-existent although salaries were paid.
Also Read: ANC’s irregular cadre deployment costs broke Mangaung Metro millions
According to another source, Jabu was “appointed” in speaker Stefani Lockman-Naidoo’s office without her knowledge, along with a number of others.
“He is known by name. No one has seen him at Bram Fischer Building. It remains a mystery as to what his job is in the speaker’s office, because he has never entered the building to work for what he is paid for,” said one official who wouldn’t identify himself, as he is not allowed to speak to the media on council matters.
Mangaung has since been placed under the control of national government after several failed attempts by the province to run the corruption-plagued council.
The Matlho Attorneys’ report noted that the municipality’s monthly salary bill has shot up to a whopping R70 million due to the unsolicited and irregular appointments.
The metro’s human resources officials interviewed as part of the investigation remarked that political appointees “existed on paper” and not according to proper order and rules in hiring practices.
Payroll manager Tshwaro Ledibane indicated to investigators that authorisation requested for new appointments as per practice, were never received from senior managers.
Other witnesses said although there had been no problems with political appointments before, things took a different turn after the local government elections.
An “overflow” of appointments took place although they were never given the official green light as had been the practice.
Seeing the concerning upsurge of staff, the then acting city manager Mzingisi Nkungwana, who was physically removed from office last month, alerted Lockman-Naidoo, Mayor Mxolisi Siyonzana, and chief whip Vumile Nikelo, informing them about national Treasury regulations on cutting down the number of officials in private office.
Sources said Nkaiseng, who has since been suspended through a council decision in March, roped in additional staffers without the knowledge of the political principals.
They further alleged that he even attended ward committees’ meetings with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), even though he was not the designated official for the job.
“Most of the staffers were sent through to Mangaung by some in the interim [ANC] regional committee. The mayor’s chief of staff knows about the origin of these people… they do not have employment contracts, none of the them are supposed to be in the building,” said another source privy to matters in the region.
During an interview with the investigators, Lockman-Naidoo said she was informed by Nkaiseng that Jabu was appointed as her head of department, although she had recommended another individual she identified as Tonyana Selebedi for the position.
“I have never met this person [Jabu Mbalula], yet he represented my office in a meeting two weeks ago. Nkaiseng, after I confronted him about this issue, informed me the Executive Mayor and the Chief Whip have their own HODs due to their work requirements, however, he later rejected his own argument and refused to process the appointment of Selebedi.
“I have never submitted the name of Jabu Mbalula,” she said.
She further presented a list of other eight ghost employees in her office, holding positions such as that of secretary, public participation support, and ward committee clerk.
“Some of these employees were part of the previous administration, however, none of them report to my office at all, and I have never seen them,” Lockman-Naidoo was quoted as saying in the report.
She refused to comment when contacted by The Citizen for her take on the investigation, referring queries to the ANC interim regional committee (IRC) and the metro.
READ MORE: Mangaung metro scrambles to avoid dissolution after Parliament warning
The report hauled Nkaiseng over the coals, recommending that charges be laid against him for flouting municipal laws and illegally appointing staffers.
Other officials against whom charges were also recommended were human resources development manager Nzimeni Maswabi, who questioned the lawyers’ investigation, saying it was a council matter and not for third parties, and Thabang Joseph Mpeli, employment manager in the human resources department.
In his defence, Nkaiseng told investigators that he implemented employment decisions from Nkungwana’s office, adding that only the city manager and his own office were entrusted with staff appointments.
“He further told the investigating team that the speaker prevented some of the officials from working because she had not approved their names.
“He insisted that he was not privy to whether they reported for work or not, as that was the responsibility of the officials in the political offices,” the report stated.
When asked why the positions were never advertised, Nkaiseng said there was no need as that would have “defeated the purpose”, since the positions in question were for two months only, and that the two months would have lapsed by the time the recruitment process was completed.
As a result of lack of proper planning ahead of new council taking office, investigators found, none of the officials interviewed could answer why they did not get temporary officials while ensuring that correct human resources procedures were followed.
“This is a breach of policies and regulations. Unavoidably, the Auditor-General will pick up on these issues and non-compliance will take center stage.”
Several ANC councillors are under fire for supporting the suspension of Nkaiseng alongside opposition parties in council last month.
In a letter dated 15 March addressed to Nkungwana, council said it noted and deliberated on reports and the allegations that led it to a “reasonable cause to believe that an act of misconduct has been committed by the HOD : Corporate Services, David Nkaiseng.”
Nkungwana was directed to appoint an independent investigator to probe the allegations in accordance with municipal disciplinary regulations for senior managers.
Freedom Front Plus councillor Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer defended the councillors who were reportedly facing sanctions from their party.
“All they did was support a common cause of rooting out endemic corruption in this municipality. Why is President Cyril Ramaphosa against the councillors when all they did was show determination to end end the thieving?” she asked.
A Mangaung ANC councillor disputed reports that Ramaphosa was in support of action against the councillors.
“I was in that meeting with the president here in Mangaung. He never called for anyone to be fired or expelled. The president said disciplinary action is allowed whenever a councillor committed something wrong in the eyes of the ANC.
“We are being purged for getting rid of the corrupt and ghost workers. We stood up to protect our credibility and stop corruption here in Mangaung.”
According to the councillor, there has been no communication from regional leaders on the matter.
Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader David Masoeu accused the ANC of failure to deliver services due to internal factional battles.
“The DA did sound a warning that failure to separate administrative activities from the governing party’s political infighting in Mangaung Metro continues to compromise service delivery and effective implementation of financial recovery plan by the intervention team.
“The DA calls on the intervention team under the leadership of the acting city manager Mr Tebogo Motlashuping to take decisive action to rectify the situation and apply consequence management to officials who are taking part in the factional battles of the governing party.”
Meanwhile, workers had been staging protests at the council offices over unpaid salaries.
Water shortages, uncollected refuse, and a general lack of services have marred the ANC-led Mangaung over the past couple of years, prompting residents to take to the streets last year, demanding that the council be dissolved and new managers be appointed.
Last month, Ramaphosa took a presidential imbizo to the Free State, listening to residents’ pleas and complaints against the provincial government and municipalities.
The president promised jobs, improved service delivery and enhanced crime fighting by the police.
NOW READ: Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality placed under administration a day before Ramaphosa’s visit
ANC Mangaung interim chairperson Ncamile Nxangisa said although the party doesn’t regard anyone at the metro as a ghost worker, there were such identified individuals, adding that some of the problems at the municipality tethered on disciplinary issues.
He said the deployment committee did its job of sending through preferred staffers as requested by the offices of the mayor, his deputy, the speaker, and the chief whip.
“I know what is going on, but it is not for me to say what is happening there on behalf of the ANC. Some of these issues bothers on discipline.
“With political appointees, it is the political heads that decide who they trust to work for them, but with other posts such as corporate, the ANC decides itself as to who to deploy. These are inter-political issues we are dealing with, as to whether people report for work or not, it’s up to the municipality to act.”
Apart from Mbalula, Nxangisa confirmed that regional coordinator Sabelo Pitso was also identified as a ghost worker.
“I know they are dubbed as ghost workers out there, but us as the organisation sent them there to do nothing else but work for the residents of Mangaung.
“I can confirm, yes, there are ghost workers who also include comrade Pitso.”
Nxangisa said the region awaited formal notification from political heads at the metro on the ghost workers.
Regarding the councillors who are in trouble for siding with opposition parties, Nxangisa said the ANC constitution was clear that members should toe the party line.
“The chief whip conducts our caucus and whenever there is a party position we pass it to the councillors through him. Anyone else who doesn’t toe the line will find themselves in trouble with the code of conduct of the ANC.
“We have picked up allegations of councillors who vote with the opposition, some even abscond come voting time. Absconding from council vote is equal to voting with the opposition because the organisation would have given a directive to you as a councillor and as part of your work.”
Nxangisa said the region decided to entrust former public works MEC Sekgopi Malebo with the councillors’ matter, including possible disciplinary hearings.
Malebo is a known opponent of suspended secretary-general Ace Magashule.
–getrudem@citizen.co.za
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