Durban - One government department, and two chief financial officers are each costing taxpayers more R1 million a year in salaries.
This is the shocking situation that was brought to the attention of MPLs when the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development appeared before the legislature’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.
Both Mathobi Mkhize and Eckard Habermann report for duty daily for one position, but Mkhize has been barred from performing her duties as permanent chief financial officer. Instead, Habermann - who is acting in the position - is the one who signs off the department’s spending.
The Mercury was told that Mkhize earned about R1.3 million a year while Habermann collected more than R1 million.
The issue emerged when ANC MPL Sipho Nkosi asked when the CFO position would be filled, since Habermann had already been standing in for 19 months.
Head of department Dr Simphiwe Mkhize said the position was not vacant as Mathobi Mkhize was the incumbent, although she had been barred from performing her full duties since her suspension in March last year. She was suspended to prevent her from interfering with an investigation against her.
He said when he took over as HOD he decided to reinstate her “because you cannot suspend an official for more than a year. This is against the law”.
Since the case involved finance it was decided that financial delegations should be withdrawn from her.
He said while Habermann was performing the main duties required of the chief financial officer, Mathobi Mkhize was performing other duties such as bookkeeping.
“Except for providing signature for things like supply chain procurement, she is performing her normal duties. When she was reinstated I had to impose restrictions on her until we could finalise her case.
“She is facing charges of financial irregularities, so she cannot approve anything that has to do with finance,” he repeated.
Asked the financial value of the irregularities, Dr Mkhize could only say “there is a lot”.
“They broke procurement procedures,” said Dr Mkhize.
Mathobi Mkhize was not among the officials who accompanied Dr Mkhize to the legislature on Wednesday, as she was apparently unwell.
Dr Mkhize said the disciplinary procedures had been delayed after Mathobi Mkhize had taken the department to the Labour Court. This case was also delayed “because her lawyers had been looking for certain information”.
He said he was expecting, any day, the report on the findings to be finalised by the presiding officer.
“This means a decision to give her back her delegations would depend on what comes in from the final judgment of the presiding officer.”
Scopa chairwoman Maggie Govender referred the matter to the portfolio committee on agriculture and rural development to deal with.
“The person is there getting paid to work as CFO, but she is not there as the CFO,” she said.
DA MPL Sizwe Mchunu described the situation as “strange and an unnecessary financial burden to the department”.
“It is also an indictment as to the department’s leadership, as they have failed to deal with internal forensic and disciplinary matters and find themselves in a situation like the current one.
“It is unacceptable that a person could draw a salary from the department while he or she is not performing the duties of the post he/she occupies,” said Mchunu.
The Mercury