The Sunday Independent

Former DG’s mistress fired – state to recoup R1.3m

MZILIKAZI WA AFRIKA

THE PUBLIC Service Commission (PSC) must remain without reproach as it is the heartbeat of good governance, according to the senior official who blew the whistle on how then commission DG Dovhani Mamphiswana chaired an interviewing panel that recommended the appointment of his “baby mama” to a top position.

The comment, made yesterday, followed the dismissal on Friday of Mamphiswana’s “baby mama” and the decision that the state must recoup more than R1 million from her.

“I was brave enough to stand up against our disgraced DG, who was a powerful man at the time and my boss, and his mistress to expose this unethical behaviour.

“The Sunday Independent is also vindicated as all along these people wanted the world to believe that the story was fake news,” said the whistle-blower after the “baby mama” was dismissed following a lengthy disciplinary hearing.

“(The) Public Service Commission must lead by example, and I didn’t blow the whistle for fame, but I did it for principles of ethics. Whistle-blowers are harassed and killed in South Africa, and I am happy to be alive,” said the whistle-blower.

The Sunday Independent reported in January this year how Mamphiswana chaired an interviewing panel that recommended the appointment of his “baby mama” as the chief director of ethics, in October 2019. The couple failed to declare during the interviews that they had a 6-year-old child together.

Mamphiswana has been married for years, while the woman is still single.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to institute a disciplinary hearing against Mamphiswana as the PSC DG is appointed by the president.

Mamphiswana was found guilty and dismissed last October, but the woman kept her job by prolonging her disciplinary hearing, until Friday.

“Now the state must open a criminal case with (the) relevant law enforcement agencies, as recommended by the panel that did the disciplinary hearing and recoup all the monies paid to her as a monthly salary she didn’t deserve.

“The state is expected to recoup more than R1.3m from her and that would be deducted from her pension,” said the whistle-blower.

The whistle-blower confirmed that the commission had not laid criminal charges against Mamphiswana almost a year after he had been dismissed.

“If the Sunday Independent didn’t continue exposing the matter, these people were going to be protected and not even be disciplined. The panel recommended that the commission must report the matter to the relevant law enforcement agencies, but to this day nothing like that has happened.”

The commission spokesperson, Humphrey Madikizela, said they were waiting for the matter to be finalised before they could approve the relevant law enforcement agencies.

“Kindly note that the matter is close to finalisation. Once finalised, the PSC will communicate accordingly. The director-general post was advertised and the selection process is at an advanced stage,” Madikizela said.

The two love birds were investigated after the Sunday Independent exposed their romantic relationship in January last year, after the baby’s mother was employed to a top position in December 2019.

At the time of the exposé both parties rubbished the story and even denied that they had a relationship or had had a child together.

It was during the disciplinary hearing that the woman admitted that they “had unprotected sex” with Mamphiswana nine years ago.

During her disciplinary hearing, the woman also confirmed the Sunday Independent report that she and Mamphiswana visited Home Affairs in Centurion in August 2019 when they registered themselves as the child’s biological parents, 70 days ahead of her job interview.

She admitted during the hearing that, indeed, Mamphiswana “accompanied her to the DHA offices in order to procure an unabridged birth certificate for the minor child” on August 13, 2019.

She confirmed that the fingerprints and details on a Home Affairs form were those of the DG and hers.

Mamphiswana was accused of “knowingly engineered the composition of the selection and interview committee” that would favour her.

An initial investigation into the saga by advocate Smanga Sethene last year revealed that Mamphiswana’s decision to “interview and recommend for appointment” his “baby mama” was not only professionally unethical, but also criminal.

Sethene recommended that criminal charges be laid against Mamphiswana and the woman.

Advocate Emmanuel Mokutu, the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing, asked the PSC “to recommend what it regards as an appropriate sanction in the light of the finding of guilt on some of the charges preferred against” her.

She was dismissed on Friday. “She was pompous and disrespectful because of her relationship with Mamphiswana. And she got what she deserves,” said the whistle-blower.

Mamphiswana and the woman could not be reached for comment.

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2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thesundayindependent.pressreader.com/article/281569473864198

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