Sisulu steps in over realty board ‘staff revolt’ claim
● Human settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu will meet the Estate Agency Affairs Board [EAAB] on Tuesday after its CEO levelled allegations of a board member “instigating a staff revolt”.
There has been unhappiness brewing among board employees, with accusations flying fast and furious, and three CEOs and three CFOs in the past five years.
Current CEO Mamodupi Mohlala-Mulaudzi was recently cleared by the board on a host of accusations staff brought against her, mostly about the way she was managing them. She took up office 10 months ago.
Sisulu has confirmed she will meet the CEO and board, which is mandated with regulating estate agents in the public interest, to try to sort the matter out.
Mohlala-Mulaudzi said this week she believed the cancellation of contracts worth millions, deemed irregular by the National Treasury, may be behind the continued claims of mismanagement levelled against her. She said one contract was for the appointment of an internal audit company at a cost of R3.8m, though it was not recommended by the tender committee and two other companies had scored better.
Other contracts included one for a call centre valued at R1.9m and an IT contract worth R3.5m.
In recent weeks staff have written letters of complaints to Sisulu. They have accused Mohlala-Mulaudzi of appointing an influx of lawyers and contravening the entity’s recruitment processes.
All allegations submitted to the board were investigated by the EAAB social and ethics committee and Mohlala-Mulaudzi was cleared.
“When I started at the EAAB I found an organisation which was in a chaotic state. I managed within four months to improve our audit,” Mohlala-Mulaudzi said.
“I believe the board needs to address the issues immediately because it speaks to the stability of the institution and staff’s ability to discharge its duties.”
Mohlala-Mulaudzi, who is also the deputy chair of the SABC board, also faced a complaint about her being paid by the public broadcaster as well as the EAAB.
In a letter written in November to department of human settlements acting director-general Joseph Leshabane, SABC board chair Bongumusa Makhathini confirmed that Mohlala-Mulaudzi had received board remuneration from the SABC. This is despite a National Treasury directive that “employees of national, provincial and local government, or institutions, are not entitled to additional remuneration”.
Makhathini told Leshabane that MohlalaMulaudzi had voluntarily written to the SABC’s board secretary in August instructing the SABC to stop her board fees payment until she had received clearance from the Treasury. Mohlala-Mulaudzi explained to the Sunday Times that because the EAAB was funded through member subscriptions and not from the national fiscus, the Treasury regulation was not applicable to her circumstances.
According to department of public service & administration spokesperson Dumisani Nkwamba, civil servants are allowed to serve as members of boards if the necessary approval has been granted.
Nkwamba confirmed Mohlala-Mulaudzi was bound by the same regulations that governed government officials, even though the EAAB did not receive funding directly from Treasury.
Human settlements spokesperson Makhosini Mgitywa said the challenges at the EAAB were regrettable and should be resolved urgently. “The minister’s adviser met with the EAAB in November and the minister will again meet with the board on December 17 to find lasting solutions,” Mgitywa said.