A forensic investigation has cleared Johannesburg ANC senior leaders who were accused of attempting to capture the city's entities, but made recommendations for strengthening recruitment processes.
Senior executives and managers at Johannesburg waste management company Pikitup were alleged to have employed their relatives as part of the 300 general workers hired in February at its 12 depots.
Maxwell Nedzamba, Pikitup board chairperson and treasurer of the ANC in Johannesburg, was accused of having three relatives employed as general workers at Pikitup’s Midrand, Roodepoort and Central Camp depots, despite not appearing on the city’s official list of 17,073 people who applied for the positions.
The claims reached the office of the city manager, who enlisted a law firm to investigate the allegations. The report, which TimesLIVE Premium has seen, was dated October 7 and was commissioned by Pumla Nkosi Attorneys.
Pikitup undertook a recruitment process to appoint 300 general workers, as advertised in circular 011/2023 and posted on November 29 2023 on its website and other platforms.
The initial closing date for applications was December 13 2023. However, the advert was extended to December 15.
An external service provider, Makhado Consulting, was appointed to conduct the selection interviews and make recommendations for the appointment of the employees.
Makhado Consulting concluded interviews and the successful applicants were appointed in May 2024.
The probe found that there is no evidence to substantiate the likelihood that the employees listed were hired on the basis of their close relations to the identified Pikitup officials and not on merit.
In addition, the report states there is no evidence to substantiate the likelihood that the employees listed are related to any of the Pikitup management and/or board members.
Some of the allegations were based on the existence of common surnames, which the report ruled out on the basis that there was not sufficient evidence to prove blood relations and/or acquaintances.
“We find that there is no available evidence to substantiate the allegation that certain officials and/or board members used their influence and/or position of power to secure employment for their relatives and/or acquaintances within Pikitup,” according to the report.
However, the report recommended that improvements be made to Pikitup's recruitment processes, especially when handled by an external service provider.
The report said the Talent and Acquisition Policy (TAP) must be revised and dictate that any recruitment processes done by external service providers must be conducted in accordance with its recruitment policy.
“The TAP must encapsulate provisions dealing with the application by the external service provider when discharging recruitment-related services.
“This revised TAP should ensure that HR personnel are involved in the process, not only as overseers, but to play a more active role to ensure accountability.
“It is important to note that there are enough internal skills in the human resources division to ensure accountability in mass recruitment processes of this nature,” reads the report.
The Mail & Guardian reported that according to travel logs from Pikitup, the entity directed its driver, identified as Stanley Minnie from city records, to use a company vehicle to fetch Maxwell Nedzamba’s family members from Johannesburg Park Station after arriving by bus from the Venda area of Limpopo.
The report, however, said the investigation revealed that there is no record of Minnie's vehicle anywhere near Johannesburg Park Station and/or Diepsloot as alleged in the Mail & Guardian articles.
“Absent an eyewitness to corroborate the allegation, there is no evidence to substantiate the allegation,” reads the report.
On the allegation of maladministration, the report found certain shortcomings in this recruitment process could have been avoided if Dr Ndidzulafhi Joyce Ndou, executive manager for corporate services, and her department had followed the TAP during this recruitment process by strengthening compliance with the TAP on functions executed by Makhado Consulting on behalf of Pikitup.
“The lackadaisical approach taken by Dr Ndou in this project has had a negative effect on the appointment of certain employees whose particulars indicated that they were undesirable candidates for the post.”
The report also recommended training all HR personnel on mass recruitment processes pursuant to the amendment of the TAP.
It said the amended policy must include developed guidelines for mass recruitment processes conducted internally or externally.
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