Ex-health MEC grilled in hearing

Failure to promote 10 employees puts Gqobana under spotlight

FORMER health MEC and now ANC MPL, Sicelo Gqobana, was last week hauled before an arbitration hearing to answer why his former department had failed to promote a group of about 10 employees while he was at the helm more than three years ago.

Gqobana, who was not given another term as the MEC after the 2014 elections was summoned to answer why such employees were not promoted despite a Public Service and Administration (PSA) department’s directive for the “standardisation” of their posts.

The group of employees were employed as support staff to senior administrators and were supposed to have had their salary levels adjusted upwards after PSA had ordered that such posts be upgraded across all government departments.

Gqobana, who did not turn up for his first hearing scheduled for October 17, faced the music on Friday.

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, Gqobana confirmed he had signed for the implementation of such directive.

Then head of department Dr Siva Pillay was tasked to implement it but could not because of financial constraints, he said.

“I was also told that the circular also could not be implemented because the department at the time was still going through the restructuring and reviewing of its organogram structure,” Gqobana said.

Gqobana was not aware why the directive was not implemented after Phumza Dyantyi succeeded him.

Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the decision to upgrade such posts was a “provin- cial executive committee’s general dispensation decision, which had conditions attached”.

“One of the conditions being that, the affected positions had to be subjected to job evaluation processes in line [with] public service regulations.

“At the time, health could not do the evaluation as it had already started realignment of the organizational organogram. However, the resolution has since been retracted and does not apply anymore,” he said.

During the Friday hearing, Gqobana said he was asked to confirm if he signed the memorandum approving the implementation of such directive.

In a letter to the employees legal representative, Sithembele Zibi Attorneys INC, dated November 22 and seen by the Dispatch, Gqobana said because he was no longer health MEC, he no longer had access to such documents.

“I am not in possession nor am I authorised to produce the documents required.

“This is in light of the fact that I am no longer MEC of health and as such, have no access to such top secret documents without the permission from the sitting MEC who has delegated authority over such matters now.”

This was after workers complained that the non-implementation of the directive had disadvantaged them.

Zibi yesterday said the hearing was postponed to “sometime next year”.

He declined to comment on the arbitration hearing, saying he needed to first consult with “an advocate” working on the matter, whom he could not get hold of yesterday.

Pillay could not be reached for comment at the time of writing yesterday. —