Appointment above board: minister
AGRICULTURE Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson denied there was “anything untoward” in the appointment of fisheries deputy director-general Greta Apelgren-Nakardien after the DA said it wanted it investigated.
Joemat-Pettersson’s spokeswoman, Palesa Mokomele, said it was “quite surprising” that the DA was questioning the appointment as the minister had responded “at length” last week during a meeting of Parliament’s oversight committee on agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
DA agriculture spokesman, Pieter van Dalen, said yesterday he would write to the Public Service Commission asking it to probe the appointment, after Apelgren-Nakardien had said on television she had not been interviewed for the job and no formal procedures had been followed.
Van Dalen said there was a “lack of consistency” as the minister had told the committee Apelgren-Nakardien had been appointed by President Jacob Zuma via a “presidential minute”.
Mokomele said government officials above a certain level could be transferred from one post to another without starting from scratch.
This was done through the Department of Public Service and Administration.
“You can’t say the person didn’t go through the normal process. It’s not a case of someone coming in from outside,” Mokomele said. The appointment had been signed off by Zuma and there was no deviation from proper procedure.
Van Dalen said the Public Service Commission should determine what exactly had transpired.
“If the deputy director-general was not appointed via formal procedures, she must be relieved of her duties and the appropriate steps must be followed to ensure and maintain the highest levels of integrity in the public service,” he said.