Department of justice deputy director-general (DDG) Conny Mametja has resigned a day before she was to face 15 charges of misconduct in a disciplinary hearing.
Mametja faced a series of charges relating to procurement irregularities, sharing confidential information with junior staff and failing to implement disciplinary action against transgressors within the department.
The department of justice and constitutional development confirmed that Mametja submitted her resignation letter on Sunday August 25, effective immediately. She was scheduled to sit in a disciplinary hearing on August 26 and 27.
She was suspended on June 26, shortly before new justice minister Thembi Simelane took over the ministry. Mametja’s disciplinary hearing was supposed to commence on July 18 but was postponed twice. These postponements were by mutual agreement, said department spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi.
“The first postponement was due to Ms Mametja dealing with a bereavement, and the second was to finalise preliminary matters related to the disciplinary process. The department has thoroughly reviewed the allegations against Ms Mametja and concluded that they do not warrant any further action at this stage,” Masibi said.
Mametja was accused of making decisions without authorisation and withholding critical information
According to the charge sheet seen by TimesLIVE Premium and written by director-general advocate Doctor Mashabane, Mametja was charged for trying to mislead the accounting officer to approve an irregular tender above the approved budget, and allegedly withheld crucial information from the National Treasury that provided an advisory about the irregularity.
She then allegedly authorised and approved expenditure in April 2023 to get personal protection for an executive committee member, who reports to the accounting officer, without approval from the accounting officer.
Mametja’s alleged actions are said to have led to stress, frustration and fear among officials in the Master's Office, who were exposed to armed non-government officials. This despite the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probing corruption, malfeasance and other crimes within the Master's Office.
She also allegedly had no authority to grant such approval for non-government officials to enter government buildings while carrying firearms.
Between December 2022 and June 2024, she allegedly refused to execute her duties as a member of the departmental bid adjudication committee, therefore failing to contribute to the governance and administration of the department as expected, according to the charges.
As the DDG responsible for labour relations, she allegedly failed to initiate disciplinary action against officials who fraudulently and wrongfully appointed a disqualified person as a liquidator. However, she allegedly supported the reinstatement of disqualified liquidators without authorisation to make such decisions on matters related to the Master's Office.
In November 2023, she allegedly failed to implement the SIU’s recommendation on corruption, misconduct and unprofessional behaviour in the Master's Office by reportedly refusing to assist in concluding disciplinary action, frustrating the disciplinary process.
“You committed a misconduct by deliberately withholding information intended for the director-general's consideration and action about the protection of whistle-blowers at the Johannesburg Master's Office in relation to the SIU investigation report and its recommendations, thereby causing a rift between organised labour and senior management,” reads the charge sheet.
She is also alleged to have leaked confidential and classified information to members of organised labour and the media and allegedly orchestrated a wide distribution of “defamatory, malicious, spurious and damaging” statements of allegations against officials, including her own supervisor, which brought the department into disrepute.
“You committed misconduct by repeatedly, over a considerable period of time, disclosing discussions of the executive committee of the department to junior officials particularly in organised labour despite being warned that such misconduct is viewed in a serious light,” Mashabane said in the charge sheet.
Other charges include engaging with a service provider and giving guidance and advice to the service provider, which led to an undue advantage and benefit to the service provider, jeopardising the department’s finances.
As project leader, she also allegedly failed to conduct a cost breakdown for the digitalisation of the departmental documents as expected, which led to escalated financial loss and unbudgeted costs for the department.
It is also alleged that she defied lawful and reasonable instructions from her supervisor. On top of that, she is accused of withholding information intended for the accounting officer from her staff who reported allegations of mistreatment, abuse and harassment of junior officials and interns. Instead, she allegedly later used the information to falsely tarnish the reputation and image of her supervisor.
‘I resigned due to breakdown in relationship with DG and toxic working environment’: Mametja
But the list of allegations of misconduct was “flimsy” and the former DDG resigned due to a breakdown in the relationship between herself and DG Mashabane, she said.
Mametja confirmed to TimesLIVE Premium that she resigned ahead of the disciplinary hearing as she did not want to be subjected to it, but opted to rather leave the “toxic environment” to allow Mashabane to “work without me being there”.
“I see that my presence there was not OK for him. That is the reason I resigned. I did not want to have a protracted disciplinary process which could hamper my career, and I decided I’d rather leave peacefully and allow the DG to continue working without me.
I had a good relationship with my colleagues and subordinates. I really loved my work. In terms of my performance, I have always been performing well. The only problem I had in the department was the broken relationship between me and the DG.
— Conny Mametja
She said the suspension and allegations against her affected her mental health and the charges were a way for her to be ousted.
“I had a very seriously bad relationship with my administrative boss — the DG ... For him to get rid of me, he had to charge me with some flimsy charges that I just don’t understand. For now, for my own mental health, I have to recover. For the past three years, I have been going through hell. It is better for me to sit and recover ... the bullying and harassment I went through affected my mental health.”
Despite this, she said she was a passionate corporate services employee who loved her job.
“I had a good relationship with my colleagues and subordinates. I really loved my work. In terms of my performance, I have always been performing well. The only problem I had in the department was the broken relationship between me and the DG.”
While she had previously worked with justice minister Simelane for eight months at the Polokwane municipality nine years ago, Mametja said she did not engage much with her former colleague in the department as she was sworn in as minister after Mametja's suspension.
However, they spoke briefly about the resignation, which Simelane accepted with no challenges, Mametja said.
“She came to the department of justice and she did not intervene in this thing. She accepted my resignation without any hassle, and she actually wished me well in my future endeavours. She did not say anything negative about the acceptance.”
In response to Mametja’s remarks about a broken relationship with the DG, the department’s Masibi said the former DDG faced charges of serious misconduct in accordance with the laws governing the conduct of public service senior managers.
“The former DDG was provided with a full and fair opportunity to defend herself in an impartial, neutral and objective process. It is a full and fair opportunity to defend herself in an impartial, neutral and objective process. It is important to note that the rules and regulations of the public service do not grant thedirector-general any unfettered authority to remove any official without due process.
“The department’s procedures concerning the precautionary suspension, the preferring of charges, and the establishment of a disciplinary panel were conducted in strict adherence to the applicable regulations, ensuring that all actions taken were above board,” Masibi told TimesLIVE Premium.
Mametja not new to misconduct allegations under leadership of justice minister Simelane
In 2015, when Mametja was the municipal manager for the Polokwane municipality, she was suspended on allegations of violating supply chain processes and the appointment of an independent investigator.
At the time, current justice minister Simelane was the executive mayor.
However, a special council meeting held on May 29 that year approved a settlement agreement to be signed between Mametja and mayor Simelane.
In the settlement agreement, signed by Simelane on June 1 2015, it stated that the suspension is lifted and her employment as a municipal manager would be terminated once the settlement agreement was signed.
She was let off the hook as the resignation was effective immediately. Simelane wrote in the settlement agreement that the municipality had not yet decided on whether disciplinary action should be instituted against Mametja while waiting for a report of the investigation outcomes.
“The [municipality] undertakes to pay the employee 10 months’ remuneration determined on the basis of her current salary [total cost to the employer]. The [municipality] shall, in addition, pay [Mametja] an amount equivalent to her outstanding leave days. The [municipality] shall deduct tax before effecting payment of the above amounts,” said Simelane in the settlement agreement.
This was the period when Simelane allegedly received a commercial loan from a company that had brokered a deal with the Polokwane municipality when she was mayor and VBS Mutual Bank.
While mayor, the municipality unlawfully invested R349m in VBS Mutual Bank, brokered by Gundo Wealth Solutions, and from which Simelane received a R600,000 loan reportedly to buy a coffee shop in Sandton.
The justice minister submitted her explanation of these allegations to the ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula on Monday and is due to address the allegations on Friday before the parliamentary portfolio committee on justice and constitutional development.
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