Unions happy as Apleni leaves home affairs
• Home Affairs director-general set to join Discovery Bank amid accusations of ‘reign of terror’ at department
Trade unions representing workers at the Department of Home Affairs, together with the DA, on Monday said the resignation of director-general Mkuseli Apleni was a relief and long overdue. Apleni said on Monday he was leaving the public service at the end of July to join Discovery Bank. /
Trade unions representing workers at the Department of Home Affairs, together with the DA, on Monday said the resignation of director-general Mkuseli Apleni was a relief and long overdue.
Apleni said on Monday he was leaving at the end of July to join Discovery Bank.
Speaking to reporters in Pretoria, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba praised Apleni’s contribution to improving financial management and service delivery at the department since his appointment in 2009.
In contrast to Gigaba’s stance, the Public Servants Association (PSA) said Apleni was unfit to head the department.
Tension between the director-general and unions came to head in 2017 during a protracted court battle over the department’s unilateral change of its working hours, which forced employees to report for duty on weekends.
“Apleni … will unfortunately be remembered by the PSA for especially his unfair implementation of weekend working hours without compensation for employees of the department.
“He misused taxpayers’ money by dragging the PSA to every court, including the Constitutional Court, and still lost,” said PSA deputy GM Tahir Maepa.
SUSPENSION
Apleni’s resignation comes just months after his gruelling battle to hold on to his job in the department after then minister Hlengiwe Mkhize suspended him. Mkhize accused him of insubordination and a breakdown in relations, among other charges — which he successfully fought in court.
Apleni was reinstated to the department in November 2017.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) said the resignation would “relieve” its members from Apleni’s “reign of terror”, which had been going on for too long.
Nehawu described his managerial style as “authoritarian”.
“The departure of the former director-general will fix most of the problems that are currently engulfing the department,” said Nehawu general secretary Zola Saphetha.
The DA said it would still hold Apleni accountable over the naturalisation of five Gupta family members, despite his resignation. Nehawu shared that sentiment, saying it still expected Apleni to “testify” about his role in the debacle.
Apleni was Home Affairs director-general when Gigaba approved the naturalisation of the Gupta family, which has been linked to corruption in the country’s state institutions.
The DA said that the directorgeneral’s tenure was characterised by disasters.
“During his nearly 10-year tenure, Apleni presided over a litany of disasters such as granting several members of the Gupta family citizenship and compromised national security when the Gupta wedding guests landed at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in 2013, among others,” said Haniff Hoosen, the DA’s spokesman on Home Affairs.