A report dated June 2020 that was submitted to the Centlec board - of which Dudu Myeni is the deputy chair – outlines a five year-long investigation and labour court spat between five officials in the Human Resources (HR) department and the power utility over alleged irregular promotions. While all five officials at the heart of the scandal continue to work at the utility, the woman who initiated the investigation – Human Resource Executive Manager, Stella Molefe – is no longer a Centlec employee. Spokesperson for the utility, Lele Mamatu, has stated that her contract ended on 30 June 2020, just two weeks after she submitted the report. Regarding the aforementioned HR debacle, Mamatu confirmed that a case is underway at the utility but declined to comment on the specifics thereof.

Molefe’s investigation into the promotion of the four employees within her division and the appointment of a cashier began in 2015. The Mangaung Metro’s rapid progression policy lies at the centre of the promotion’s debacle. It is alleged that a fraudulent version of the policy was used to motivate the promotions.  According to the report only two of the five officials embroiled in the matter were charged and faced disciplinary proceedings thus far. One of them – an HR Manager – was accused of being complicit in the irregular appointments, by not bringing the tampered version of the progression policy to the attention of her seniors in Corporate Services. She is reported to have challenged the process in the Labour court. It is here that she reached an agreement with Centlec, the details of which Mamatu has declined to elaborate on.

Amongst the group, a third employee was accused of nepotism when his fiancé was hired as a cashier – while the vacancy was only advertised internally. The couple – according to the report – got married, mere days after the cashier began working at the power utility. Mamatu did not confirm rumours on the ground that more employees with findings against them are now being charged internally. Reiterating to OFM News, that the matter is before the courts.

Mamatu also declined to indicate how much Centlec spent on litigation in this matter. He did conclude his response to OFM News by stating that “Centlec is committed to ensure that all labour matters, are dealt with in accordance with the labour relations act and where we are wrong, we will correct whatever wrongs we are told of, specifically by the court of law”.

In October 2018, Centlec employees downed tools demanding that there be an improvement of working conditions, an end to nepotism and tender fraud, as well as the permanent employment of workers currently in acting positions.

The workers further called for the removal of the utility’s Chief Executive Officer, Andries Mgoqi, on allegations that he had run the entity into a state of disarray and ignored their concerns. In the memorandum of demands received by the then Deputy Mayor now acting Mangaung Metro Mayor, Lebohang Masoetsa, the workers demanded that their grievances be addressed, as a matter of urgency.

OFM News