Deputy Registrar takes on health professions body
A BRUISING dispute is brewing at the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) as the deputy registrar made damning claims that a proposed new structure continued to be used as a defence to axe black women that should be equipped to replace the 67-year-old registrar who has apparently reached retirement age.
Aggrieved deputy registrar Nhlanhla Mthembu has now approached the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria and filed an application challenging her boss’s continued employment.
Mthembu, 33, has asked the court to declare the extension of Dr Louis Mullinder, the registrar’s employment contract beyond his 65th birthday unlawful, and to review and correct or set aside the decision to extend it beyond his birthday.
Mthembu was appointed as the deputy registrar in August 2020 following an interview with a panel. She claims it was at that time mentioned Mullinder was expected to retire in December of that year. His retirement age was apparently 63 as per the organisation’s retirement policy.
“The Registrar since my appointment had no intention to retire and has throughout 2021 alienated me and never put me in a position for a transition. He did not give me access to information relating to the organisation. My relationship with him deteriorated and I have been subjected to bullying. To date he is still sidelining me, any suggestions I make are rejected,” said Mthembu.
In March this year she received a letter and later informed at a consultation meeting that her position was redundant and that she might be retrenched as part of a proposal for a new structure.
“The Minister of Health in 2009 instructed the AHPCSA to appoint an Assistant Registrar to enable transformation. A young educated black woman was appointed and retrenched and the position taken away. Now I’m facing retrenchment for similar reasons. It seems when the black women are to take over they are then retrenched so that the Registrar, a white man in his retirement age, continues to stay in power. It should be noted that out of all 6 statutory councils, the AHPCSA is the only statutory council,” she added.
Mthembu now also faces suspension after writing to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla requesting investigation regarding transformation and other issues, sharing Mullinder’s appointment details.
A former assistant registrar who was employed for about four years also shared her experience of the same modus operandi, where a sudden new structure was proposed resulting in her position and that of another colleague being redundant. She said they were pressured to accept voluntary retrenchment packages which meant if they accept their last day at the office would be on the day they accept it.
“I informed the registrar I was not in a position to make a decision on the spot. The relations in the office were no longer conducive, there were instances of subtle and passive aggression from him and the administrative staff were acting very cagey.
“I subsequently agreed because I could see that the registrar had calculated the situation and I had no energy or the resources to take him on regarding the retrenchment. Feeling despondent, I agreed to the package they offered me and left,” she said.
To her surprise a short while after her departure a woman who was the operations manager during her tenure was promoted to her position, however she also didn’t last long.
The Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa is a statutory health body which was established in order to control all allied or complementary health professions, which includes aromatherapy, ayurveda, Chinese medicine and acupuncture.
The Health Department did not respond to questions by time of publication.