By Akani Nkuna
ActionSA has endorsed City of Tshwane mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya’s cautious approach to addressing the South African Local Bargaining Council’s (SALBC) decision to reinstate officials implicated in the illegal 2019 tender awarded to business mogul Edwin Sodi.
The SALBC ruling on Tuesday found procedural flaws in the disciplinary process conducted under former Democratic Alliance (DA) mayor Cilliers Brink.
The council mandated the reinstatement of the officials and ordered the City to pay R2 million in compensation.
The officials had been charged with gross negligence in performing their duties in that their alleged conduct in the tender award breached various legislation, policies and codes of conduct.
These officials, who include Group Head of Water and Sanitation Stevens Notoane, Director of Electrification Justice Sekokotla, Divisional Head of Water and Sanitation Dumisani Gubuza, Divisional Head of Electricity Planning and Development Frans Manganyi, and Divisional Head of Supply Chain Management Thembeka Mphefu, had been on full-pay suspension since April 2023.
ActionSA’s National Chairperson, Michael Beaumont, said that the SALBC objected to the timing of the officials’ suspension, which occurred after the disciplinary hearing rather than during the investigation.
“The failure of the Brink administration to suspend officials earlier led to this outcome,” Beaumont said.
Beaumont acknowledged the financial and service delivery challenges inherited by Moya and praised the decision to review the SALBC ruling and seek legal counsel.
He described this as a “responsible approach” to protect Tshwane from further costs and the reappointment of compromised officials.
ActionSA also criticized the DA for prioritizing political opportunism over the municipality’s interests.
“It is ironic that the DA, which governed Tshwane during the tender’s awarding and the flawed suspension process, is now using this issue for political gain,” said Beaumont.
He also stressed that the review process must focus on the tender’s unlawfulness, its role in delaying a critical water project in Hammanskraal, and the financial burden it placed on the City and its residents.
“Tshwane is already working to address its significant backlogs and challenges,” Beaumont said.
“This is what matters to residents, not the opportunistic politicking of an embarrassed former mayor now in opposition.”
INSIDE METROS