Fired Department of Communications (DOC) director general Mamodupi Mohlala is determined to fight her dismissal in court, in order to clear her name and find an equivalent position within the public service.
Late last week, communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda announced Mohlala's immediate dismissal from her position, saying the trust between him and Mohlala has broken down “irretrievably”.
This action confirmed media reports over the last two weeks that Mohlala was facing dismissal as the DOC's top public servant. The reports alleged there were differences between her and the minister over the awarding of tenders, and concern about a slew of dismissals and suspensions within the department, for which the minister had apparently not given his approval.
Mohlala is adamant proper process was not followed in her dismissal and states that the first she heard about it was when it was broadcast over the radio.
Today, she stated that after consultation with her lawyers, she will go ahead with court action challenging the decision. Mohlala is currently entitled to a cash payment of R1.6 million.
However, Nyanda's spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso says proper process was followed with regard to her dismissal.
“The letter of termination of her contract was delivered to her on Friday, 23 July 2010. As to when the decision was taken, that's immaterial. The minister's decision followed thorough consultation of the applicable laws and regulations that govern public service and employees of government,” he says.
However, Rikhotso did not explicitly say if Cabinet had approved Mohlala's dismissal, as directors-general are appointed and removed by government's highest decision-making body.
Concerning the reasons for her dismissal, Rikhotso goes on to say: “In the letter of termination of employment to Ms Mohlala, the minister lists a number of reasons that led to his decision. I'm not able to disclose these reasons due to the confidentiality that needs to be observed when dealing with matters such as this.”
From Friday, Mohlala was effectively barred from the DOC offices.
“If a person no longer works for an organisation, what would be the reason for him/her to be granted access to his/her former office? Termination of employment means the end of a relationship between the employee and the organisation. This includes access to facilities and resources of the organisation in question available to employees of that particular organisation,” Rikhotso notes.
Share