Pretoria - The Limpopo Legislature is embroiled in allegations of irregularities, nepotism and corruption in the recruitment process of employees.
This is detailed in a complaint laid by employees in the provincial parliament to a forensic investigator. The complainants are disgruntled applicants, union members and concerned senior managers.
The matter has its roots in the filling of positions of a manager and network technician in the Information Technology Unit. Both have been filled, with one allegedly going to the niece of Dr Isaac Nkuna, a manager at the secretary’s office. Nkuna refused to comment on the matter.
The preliminary investigation report by forensic, fraud and corruption investigation service provider Buvhedzi Holdings, which the Pretoria News has seen, said the successful candidate in the IT manager post was Nkuna’s niece, Vutomi Makhubele.
It said she was appointed without relevant qualifications and minimum experience, as advertised in February 2021.
The advert required the candidate to hold a three-year Bachelor’s degree or IT, hardware and software certification, networking administration and support certification, as well as Windows 200 server experience.
“The candidate who had all these was overlooked … and he came to us to investigate this matter because he felt there were corrupt activities involved in the recruitment process,” said the lead investigator, who is known to the Pretoria News.
The report read: “The secretary, HR manager and manager in the office of the secretary connived in appointing the niece to the manager in the office of the secretary at the expense of experienced, competent and qualifying candidates for the post.”
Further findings indicated that according to the minutes of the appointment meeting, a more suitable candidate was recommended, but he was overlooked.
“Vetting and a qualifications check was not conducted; qualified and experienced candidates are being made to look passive within the organisation, candidates who were overlooked for the position are being put under surveillance and threatened not to voice their grievance.
“It is alleged that the appointed niece is proving to be incompetent regarding her key performance area as she is a mere data capturer and not an IT expert. Therefore, the niece is slowly bringing the IT section to its knees,” the report read.
The report further revealed that while Makhubele was appointed to the position of IT unit manager, her vacant post was filled by Reneilwe Modiba, who was a volunteer candidate before her appointment.
“Modiba is also alleged to be a niece to the late IT unit manager Londolani Matshobeng, who was a very close female friend of the senior manager in the office of the secretary.
“Modiba was requested to volunteer immediately after her internship ended. She was immediately appointed after volunteering despite the policy that prohibits any volunteering in the institution as per Treasury determination.
“It is evident that all was done for the swift movement of Reneilwe to the position of network technician. Modiba was favoured for the post while all interns were released when their term had ended.
“We further found that the policy was flawed to favour Modiba who is a close relative of the husband of the late IT manager, who was a very close female friend of Nkuna,” the report read.
Provincial legislature spokesperson Solly Masele dismissed the allegations as baseless.
He replied: “I need to check with the management as these are squarely HR issues.”
However, pushed for responses, he wrote back “these are baseless” claims.
Pretoria News