A senior official in KwaZulu-Natal who has been on suspension for seven years, pending an investigation by the South African Social Security Agency, has accused the agency and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) of using an improper letter to withdraw his case at the council without his knowledge.
Jabu Mazibuko, who is the senior manager for Supply Chain Management in the Pietermaritzburg area, yesterday accused Sassa and the CCMA of colluding to withdraw his case without informing him.
He said he learnt recently that his case was withdrawn without his knowledge and that the letter of withdrawal from Sassa is unsigned.
Independent Media has seen documents showing the unsigned letter with no contact details or name of the official from Sassa, backdated to April 2010, when CCMA made the first ruling on the matter.
This was after Sassa sought to make an application at the CCMA to postpone the matter.
Mazibuko said as far as he was concerned the matter must still be heard by a commissioner at the CCMA and could not be withdrawn without his knowledge.
“The request for withdrawal was received on June 17 and was backdated to April 22, 2010,” he said. “As a party to this matter I would have been informed of the withdrawal,” he said.
“This withdrawal could have happened with improper means. It could not happen without a sitting. I still want to know where was this sitting.
“What makes things worse is that there is no record of the file of the withdrawal at CCMA,” he said.
He demanded a thorough investigation of the matter by the CCMA as the letter of withdrawal was not signed by a Sassa official, and it did not bear the name of any official requesting the withdrawal.
CCMA senior commissioner for Tshwane Morwa Setlago could not be reached for comment.
Sassa regional executive manager for KwaZulu-Natal Pearl Bengu refused to comment.
“I can’t discuss this matter. Jabu knows the full story, no one wants to stay at home for seven years. Jabu knows where to find us, he knows our offices,” said Bengu.
Sassa spokesperson Kgomoco Diseko had not responded to enquiries sent to him by the end of Saturday.
Political Bureau