Dina Pule, South African communications minister, allegedly wasted ZAR2.6 million (US$280,000) on a recruitment deal, which reportedly led to the appointment of Phosane Mngqibisa’s friends onto the boards of key parastatals.
This recent report was made by the Sunday Times newspaper, which has found itself wrapped up in a war of accusations with Pule.
The Sunday Times said she’s corrupt, in reply Pule said they must show some evidence.
HumanIPO reported earlier today Pule spoke out against the allegations made by the Sunday Times, naming them part of a smear campaign, including this report.
The Sunday Times claims to have seen a “paper trail” of memos containing information of how the communications minister bypassed treasury regulations.
According to the Sunday Times Wisani Ngobeni, a friend of Mngqibisa’s, will be appointed as a chief director of communication as from April 23. The Sunday Times also revealed Ngobeni used to work for them as a journalist.
The Sunday Times reported the new documents apparently reveal Pule ensured Mindworx, a recruitment company, was awarded the 2.6 million deal without having initiated a bidding process.
Furthermore the newspaper said Mindworx has links with Mngqibisa and Andiswa Booysen, the company’s former project manager.
Booysen was then employed by Khemano, Mnqgibisa’s company before she was appointed by Pule as project manager for the minister’s office. Her duties as the minister’s project manager included the supervision of the ICT indaba.
According to the Sunday Times, Mindworx’s job was to fill board vacancies for Postbank, the Post Office, Sentech, ZA Name Authority, the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa and the Universal Access Agency.
The Sunday Times said it “established that the company recruited at least five cronies of Pule and Mngqibisa – Sentech chairman Thabo Mongake, Post Office chairman George Mothema and board member Buhle Mthethwa, and Universal Access Agency board member Phumla Radebe and Angie Maseka.”
Furthermore, Mindworx reportedly filled top vacancies in the Department of Communications (DoC). Apparently Basadzi Personnel had been tasked with this following their winning of a tender in February 2011, but were shown the door because it used poor quality fonts to create a job advertisement.
According to the Sunday Times, correspondence between the DoC and Mindworx shows pressure was applied to Mindworx to appoint candidates inappropriate for the job.
Mindworx then reportedly said in an email it refuses to endorse two candidates because “they do not meet the required criteria”.
However, Jonah Naidoo, CEO of Mindworks, told the Sunday Times he knew Mngqibisa from the past work they did together, but denied claims the company was instructed to specifically headhunt either Mngqibisa’s or Pule’s friends for parastatal boards.
Naidoo said the DoC did not always choose the candidates the company recommended. “The client will inevitably choose who they want.”
The appointment of Maseka and Maxwell Nonge as the Universal Access Agency’s new deputy chair and board member were found inappropriate and had to be reversed within days due to telecommunications companies complaining that their appointment to senior positions at Sentech was a conflict of interest.
