Johannesburg -
Outgoing government spokesman Jimmy Manyi received a vote of confidence on Wednesday from the Black Management Forum (BMF), which he heads.
“Manyi’s conduct and character as a change agent will continue to win the respect of the BMF and its allies, to the chagrin of those who continue to resist transformation,” BMF deputy president Tembakazi Mnyaka said in a statement.
BMF managing director Nicholas Maweni said: “The sterling performance attributed to him by the minister in the presidency is not only endorsed by the BMF, but the objective measures such as (the) unqualified audit report and no irregular expenditure incurred in the year 2011/2012, where he presided as accounting officer of GCIS.”
The presidency said on Monday that it was not renewing Manyi's three-year contract as Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) CEO and Cabinet spokesman. The contract ended on Saturday.
Manyi joined GCIS in February 2011 from the department of labour, to which he had been transferred to complete the rest of his contract as director general in the public service department.
The Freedom Front Plus said on Wednesday that it would write a letter to the public service commission (PSC) asking that it ensured Manyi was not appointed in the public service again.
“This follows after the PSC had, in February of this year, instructed the minister in the presidency, Mr Collins Chabane... to hold a disciplinary hearing for Mr Manyi,” FF Plus MP Anton Alberts said in a statement.
“The minister had at the beginning of this month still not taken any steps against Manyi.”
He said that just because Manyi was no longer Cabinet spokesman did not mean he should get off scot-free.
In March last year, the PSC found that Manyi had not declared his income from the BMF, which he received while working in the public service.
He had also not been given permission to undertake work outside the public service while working in it. There was also a possible conflict of interest when he was director general of labour.
“He should therefore not be given the opportunity again to be appointed to the public service,” said Alberts. - Sapa