Matiwane denies any guilt and quits
Ex-acting housing head says hearing dragged on for too long
THABO Matiwane, suspended Buffalo City Metro (BCM) former acting head of housing has resigned with “immediate effect,” because the disciplinary hearing against him “has dragged for far too long”.
The council adopted the then mayor Alfred Mtsi’s recommendation in August last year that Matiwane along with former BCM municipal manager Andile Fani and chief financial officer Vincent Pillay be put on suspension for their alleged involvement in flouting procurement processes when the metro entered into a contract with Asla Construction to build houses and provide top structures for a Reeston Housing project.
The Dispatch reported that the Grahamstown High Court nullified the contract last month after it found that proper procurement processes had not been followed. This ruling had a direct impact on the findings of an internal investigation into Fani’s ongoing disciplinary hearing which started in February. The Dispatch also reported this week that as a result of the high court ruling, Fani was found guilty of all three charges levelled against him, and the disciplinary committee (DC) subsequently instructed BCM on Thursday to fire Fani.
Of the three the council wanted charged, only Fani and Matiwane were grilled by the DC, as Pillay who had been the acting municipal manager when the metro sealed the “dodgy” deal with Asla, was subsequently re-instated. Reasons for this remain unclear.
The Dispatch can reveal today that on the day that the Botha du Plessis-led DC finalised the case, September 22, Matiwane submitted his letter of resignation to the acting municipal manager Nceba Ncunyana, and copied it to mayor Xola Pakati.
In it Matiwane said: “I have been on suspension for almost a year thus far, undergoing a disciplinary process initiated by the employer. This process has dragged on for far too long, exhausting me mentally, emotionally and financially.
“It is precisely against this background that I tender my resignation with immediate effect.”
Asla Construction ended up with the R74million Reeston contract after successfully working on a similar bulk infrastructure project.
The Dispatch reported last month that Grahamstown High Court Judge Elna Revelas said BCM’s handling of the Reeston project under Asla ran contrary to the constitutional requirement that procurement processes should be fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective.
Revelas had said the officials concerned (including Fani and Matiwane) may have “extended” the contract because of their determination to find a suitable contractor to bring houses to the community at more competitive prices than its predecessors. But it had resulted in Asla incurring substantial expenses.
But in his Thursday letter, Matiwane, who acted as housing head for four years and won at least six awards including a national award for the Second Creek Housing project, said: “I would like to categorically state that this submission is not any admission of guilt or liability on my part regarding the charges brought against me.
“If anything, the spirit of this submission is for the sake of reaching closure and facilitating a process of moving forward with my life,” said Matiwane in his letter.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Matiwane refused to comment on the matter, saying “this is a matter between me and my employer. I’m in no position to comment.”
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi did not respond to questions sent to him last week. —