Union insists on Xolile George as parly CEO
● A union representing parliamentary staff is pushing the speaker of the National Assembly to appoint South African Local Government Association (Salga) CEO Xolile George as parliament’s next administrative chief.
The National Education, Health & Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) wrote to the speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, last week to say George was the only acceptable candidate as secretary to parliament — effectively, CEO of the legislature. The union said George had emerged as the best candidate in interviews attended by Nehawu representatives.
Mapisa-Nqakula last week told a parliamentary committee charged with oversight of the budget and management of the institution that she was confident a new secretary would be appointed by April 1.
The position has been vacant since 2019. The last person to hold it, Gengezi Mgidlana, was axed after an investigation into allegations of financial misconduct and other wrongdoing.
Mgidlana’s predecessor, Zingile Dingani, was axed in 2012 after he was found guilty of financial misconduct.
Parliament initially wanted to appoint George in April last year but could not reach an agreement with him because the annual pay for the position, at R2.5m, is less than half what he is receiving now — R5.8m.
But those privy to the discussions said George is still keen to take the job and parliament is willing to revise the package upwards to between R2.9m and R3.6m.
The insiders said parliament had conducted a pay benchmarking exercise that compared salaries for heads of public sector institutions such as the auditor-general and public protector, among others.
Sthembiso Tembe, the chair of Nehawu in
parliament who was an observer at the interviews, said the union is convinced George is the best person to replace Mgidlana and it will not allow Mapisa-Nqakula to look elsewhere.
Tembe said there is a “huge gap” between how George and the next-best candidate, Zane Dangor — the brother of ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte — performed in the interviews.
Baby Tyawa, who is deputy secretary of parliament and took over from Mgidlana in an acting capacity, was interviewed for the job, but, the Sunday Times understands, did not make the cut.
“George was head and shoulders [above the rest], as I say,” said Tembe.
In the letter to Mapisa-Nqakula, Nehawu said it favoured George because he had turned Salga around and ensured it obtained clean audits.
The union also credited him with stabilising labour relations at municipal level, saying strikes are now rare at this level because George had brokered long-term wage agreements.
“The appointment of other candidate/s does not arise as long as the best candidate is available. The cost implications should never be used to support the appointment of people who have no track record, capacity and leadership acumen to manage a massive and crisis-riddled institution such as parliament,” Nehawu’s letter said.
George, through Salga spokesperson Sivuyile Mbambato, referred queries to parliament. Moloto Mothapo, spokesperson for parliament, said the institution’s presiding officers were dealing with the appointment of a new CEO as a matter of priority.
“The appointment of the secretary to parliament is one of the tasks [at the ] top of the presiding officers’ priority list, and it is a matter they are fully engaged with to ensure it is finalised without delay.”