Another Bhisho CFO suspended

Ngqele implicated in financial mismanagement

YET another Eastern Cape government department’s chief financial officer (CFO) has been placed on suspension for alleged financial mismanagement in his department.

Roads and public works CFO Yimile Ngqele has been suspended amid allegations of poor performance and alleged irregular expenditure incurred by his department.

Ngqele’s suspension last week brings to four the number of CFOs suspended by provincial departments in the past year.

Over the period, cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) department, education and office of the premier (OTP) have placed their finance bosses on suspension over alleged financial transgressions.

Ngqele’s suspension was confirmed yesterday by his department’s spokesman Mphumzi Zuzile.

Zuzile however said the CFO had not yet been served with charges relating to a decision by head of department, Advocate James Mlawu, to suspend him.

Zuzile declined to give further details on Ngqele’s suspension, saying “the CFO has not yet been furnished with the charges he faces, hence we cannot comment further on the issue”.

He said they could only do so once Ngqele had been officially informed of the charges he faces. Zuzile said Zoleka Madikazi had been appointed to act as CFO.

However, the Dispatch understands that Ngqele has been suspended for poor performance and has also been held accountable for the R660-million irregularly spent by the department during the 20152016 financial year which ended in March.

This was the highest irregular expenditure incurred by the provincial department in the year under review.

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

In June, education department CFO, Henry Isaacs, left the department amid unanswered questions relating to the auditor-general’s findings over management of the department’s finances.

Isaacs was placed on precautionary suspension last year November, but decided to resign in June this year after he reportedly refused to be demoted.

Earlier this year, Cogta CFO Nielesh Ravgee was suspended and later resigned before disciplinary processes could be instituted against him.

Ravgee who was also charged for poor performance, was said to have also been responsible for the “smartpen transaction” amounting to R109 000 which was spent irregularly by his department allegedly without due processes being followed.

Former CFO at premier Phumulo Masualle’s office, Nomawethu Ngcakani, was also suspended earlier this year after being accused of mishandling a multi-million telephone tender by allegedly paying the service provider in advance, before work was completed.

Ngcakani was later cleared by an internal probe.