BCM manager in fraud probe
THE South African Police Services are investigating a case of fraud against a senior Buffalo City Metro manager after she failed to prove she met all the requirements for her post.
Fikiswa Jakeni-Gomba was appointed as municipal health services manager last year, earning R1-million a year.
However, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) challenged Jakeni-Gomba to produce documentation which would confirm she was a registered health professional.
When she failed to do so by the end of January, HPCSA regional inspector Mamadiga Mamabolo said they had filed a case of fraud.
East London Police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala confirmed they were investigating the matter.
“There is no arrest at the present moment, the investigation is still continuing,” said Mqala.
Mamabolo said there were clear rules on what to expect from a health manager, which included registering with the council. She said there was no one on their database with the name of “JakeniGomba”.
“An unregistered person might give wrong conclusions when, for instance, testing water for human consumption. Then people get sick and then what? That’s why we are so strict with the registration,” said Mamabolo.
Mamabolo further stated that the council had written a letter to the metro requesting it withdraw Jakeni-Gomba’s appointment after she failed to submit her basic qualifications to the council.
“We have contacted Jakeni-Gomba to assist her with the process of registration, however to register her we will need her to produce a health-related qualification which I have requested from her but have not received yet,” said Mamabolo.
“We are so strict with the registration. We need a person who is qualified and registered.”
Metro spokesman Sibusiso Cindi had not responded to questions at the time of writing while Jakeni-Gomba could not be reached for comment. Last year the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) lodged an objection to the advert for the post Jakeni-Gomba filled.
In a letter addressed to BCM’s corporate services manager Sizwe Mbuyazwe, dated May 25, Samwu stated that the requirements stipulated in the advert were different to those in the draft description of the post already submitted to human resources.
The union said the metro had filled a position which still needed to be evaluated by the evaluation committee.