Minister of public works Patricia de Lille has announced that more than 100 senior and middle managers at the department of public works could be dismissed.
This after an investigation requested by her predecessor, Thulas Nxesi, which looked into 688 appointments at the department found that some officials in her department were irregularly appointed between 2017 and 2018.
According to an eNCA report, the Public Service Commission found that 12 senior managers were irregularly appointed and another 94 middle managers were also wrongly appointed.
"We are simply following the law. What was done was illegal and we are all subject to the law. Also, there are many qualified people out there who cannot find jobs, so it’s also a matter of fairness that you begin to get people into government who are qualified to do the job, who can deliver on service delivery," said De Lille.
"This is to show that government is very serious about service delivery, that we need to make sure that we deliver quality service, but also the Batho Pele principle that we need to put people first."
In an interview on Cape Talk, she said the investigation was an ongoing process.
"We want, in the future, to make sure that the right people are appointed to the right positions because it impacts severely on service delivery if you have people are not qualified, especially for senior management."
De Lille said having people who were not qualified affected government.
"When people are appointed, not because they have the necessary qualifications, that's when corrupt activities happen.
"We have a bad name and that is what I am trying to change."
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