Cape Town – Following the granting of special leave to secretary to parliament Gengezi Mgidlana on June 9, the presiding officers have appointed deputy secretary Penelope Tyawa as acting secretary to parliament, the national legislature said on Saturday.
The appointment was effective from Monday until further notice, parliament said in a brief statement. On Friday, it was announced that Mgidlana had been placed on special leave pending the outcome of an investigation against him.
Allegations were levelled against him by the National Health, Education, and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), who represents most of the legislature’s workers.
Chairman of Nehawu’s parliament branch Sthembiso Tembe addressed workers shortly after the news broke, saying while they would have preferred Mgidlana to be suspended they welcomed the fact that they were one step closer to their final goal.
“It’s a small step towards the ultimate prize that Mgidlana is kicked out of parliament because he was never fit to run parliament,” said Tembe to loud cheers from staff. Nehawu said it would present all documentation related to their allegations of maladministration against Mgidlana to the external audit committee that was set up by parliament’s presiding officers to conduct the probe.
The union was also set to send these documents to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebana. In July last year, Nehawu laid a complaint at the protector's office. The union said it would now be adding more complaints.