With just over two months left of his term of office, Premier Phumulo Masualle has placed the HOD of the Department of Transport (DOT) on precautionary suspension for “gross incompetence”. Masualle had hinted on this during the Sopa debate.
Irene Mpolweni, HOD for the DOT was served with the letter of suspension on Thursday.
Masualle’s spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, confirmed to HotNews that Mpolweni has received the letter of suspension. However, he understandably refused to answer a series of questions that we had sent to him pertaining to the reasons for the suspension. “We can confirm the suspension which was delivered yesterday however I am not at liberty to discuss the contents of the suspension and it is precautionary”, said Kupelo.
The MEC for the DOT is Weziwe Tikana but all HOD’s report to the Director General of the province and their employment is the prerogative of the Premier. It is the Premier who has legal authority to hire, suspend or fire an HOD.
HotNews has it on good authority that the suspension of Mpolweni has long been in the offing. Sources close to the situation say that Tikana has not been seeing eye to eye with Mpolweni for a very long time but that the Premier was reluctant to take action against her.
It is alleged that the MEC received mostly insubordinate inaction on many service delivery programmes that she wanted to implement.
It appears that, amongst other things, the last straw to break the camel’s back was the embarrassing closure of the Mthatha Airport which falls under the direct supervision of the DOT. The airport was recently declared unsafe for Commercial Flights due to various basic safety requirements not being in place as prescribed by the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
After this egg-on-the-face for the entire provincial administration the Premier was left with no option but to accept the submission from Tikana to suspend Mpolweni.
A member of the portfolio committee in the Bhisho Legislature, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to issue any statement on the matter, told HotNews that the committee members are neither surprised nor saddened by the news.
“During appearances before the committee she showed extreme disrespect towards both her MEC and members of the committee. If she’s finally fired it will be good riddance”.
Asked for his response on the matter, the ANC provincial secretary, Lulama Ngcukayithobi said, “We are grateful that the Premier lived up to his commitment. He committed to consequence management in so far as the issues of the closure of the Mthatha airport. Where people do not do their work the supervisory MECs and Mayors should take appropriate actions”.
When HotNews called Mpolweni her departmental mobile phone repeatedly went into voicemail.
