‘Pay back the money’: DA says Mashazi must be held accountable for irregular hiring practices

The DA says Ekurhuleni’s former City Manager, Imogen Mashazi, should pay back the money that the municipality has been paying to a senior official whose appointment was found to be irregular by the Public Protector (PP).

This comes after the office of the PP found that Mashazi’s conduct was at odds with the municipality’s HR policies.

She is being accused of misconduct after appointing Ndumiso Gcwabe to a senior role in the metro police department.

Gcwabe was appointed deputy metro police chief, security and loss control, without meeting the position’s minimum requirements.

This appointment happened in 2022, and Gcwabe is earning over R1 million per annum.

On Friday, DA mayoral candidate Khthutshelo Rasilingwane told The Citizen that even though Mashazi no longer works for the City of Ekurhuleni, she must be held accountable for this wrongful appointment.

“Mashazi must repay the salary that was paid to the official during the period he occupied the position to which he was unlawfully appointed.”

The official is still currently employed by the city/

Rasilingwane previously called for accountability.

“That will not happen, as the Public Protector has made no remedial recommendations, as she no longer holds the office,” she added.

Ekurhuleni, ‘crime scene’

Rasilingwane described Mashazi as the head of the snake in corruption scandals that have been uncovered in the City of Ekurhuleni.

“Mashazi did not act alone when emptying Ekurhuleni’s coffers. She was the head of the snake, but the body remains.

“South Africa’s municipal appointment framework is clear: qualifications, competencies, and prescribed requirements matter. When these are forgone, we end up with places like Ekurhuleni being a crime scene,” she said.

Rasilingwane said Ekurhuleni needs an administration where qualifications matter, rules are followed, and public officials are held accountable for the decisions they make.

“A DA government would not have let her get away with this, and when we assume office, the Ekurhuleni cadres are in for a surprise. We will clean house.

“Ekurhuleni deserves better,” she said.

Concerns about ethics in public service

The DA’s demand that Mashazi should be held accountable for her poor decisions while she was the City Manager of the City of Ekurhuleni comes at a time when former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo also raised concerns about accountability in South Africa’s public service.

He complained that officials are often shielded from accountability under the excuse that the police have not charged them with a crime.

In Zondo’s view, morality and ethics should play a big role in public service.