Fire deputy finance minister, says PSA
THE Public Servants Association (PSA) has called for immediate steps to be taken against the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mondli Gungubele, following revelations at the PIC commission of inquiry into allegations of impropriety that confirm that he misled the commission in his testimony.
Gungubele previously testified that he had not been put under pressure to resign. This was contradicted by other testimony where it was disclosed that Gungubele had received a phone call from Finance Minister Tito Mboweni during a board meeting, instructing him and the PIC board to resign or be fired.
PSA general manager Ivan Fredericks said: “Immediate steps need to be taken to discipline Mr Gungubele. He can clearly not be trusted in his position and he has furthermore contributed to the current state of disarray of the PIC (Public Investment Corporation).
“This is again underlining the PSA’s stance that the chairperson of the PIC should not be appointed for political reasons to support personal gain, but the appointment should be based on integrity and expertise.”
Fredericks added: “The PSA calls on the president to take decisive steps and relieve Gungubele of his duties as deputy minister of finance with immediate effect.”
In her testimony last week, PIC board member Dudu Hlatshwayo said Gungubele received a call from Mboweni, who told them to resign immediately or face being fired, contradicting Gungubele’s submission where he misrepresented the facts, claiming that the board was not fired and not put under pressure to leave.
Mboweni’s decision to force the board to resign came in the wake of a whistle-blower, with the pseudonym “James Noko”, accusing Gungubele of colluding with fellow board member Sibusisiwe Zulu.