SOUTH AFRICA
The former South African Minister for Public Service and Administration, Faith Muthambi (pictured) flouted Public Service regulations by making irregular appointments and ordering unofficial salary rises for officials, a report by the Public Service Commission (PSC) has found.
Ms Muthambi appointed people who did not have the requisite qualifications and made appointments for three years when regulations only allowed them for one, the PSC found.
Member of Parliament, Désirée van der Walt laid complaints against Ms Muthambi in February last year, shortly after she was sacked from Cabinet.
A Parliamentary Committee later found that Ms Muthambi was “incompetent” and her testimony before it was “misleading”.
Ms van der Walt asked Ms Muthambi’s successor, Ayanda Dlodlo whether she had proposed any amendments to the Ministerial Handbook to Cabinet, that is currently under review, and whether Ms Muthambi’s transgressions were taken into consideration.
Ms Dlodlo said the new Handbook would clearly state how staff should be appointed.
“It also talks about the number of individuals that can be appointed and over how long a period,” Ms Dlodlo said.
She said proposed amendments said the term of three years for officials in a Minister’s office should be replaced with linking it to the Minister’s term of office.
Ms Muthambi was appointed Minister of Public Service and Administration by former President, Jacob Zuma on 1 April 2017, after a troubled term as Minister of Communications.
Pretoria, 10 March 2019
