Pretoria - Embattled SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) Gauteng secretary Gift Ndwandwe has been placed on suspension in connection with information that he fabricated his South African identity.
The investigation, undertaken by the Department of Home Affairs into the legality of his citizenship, revealed he faked his South African nationality and was actually a Zimbabwean national.
The union’s national deputy general secretary Zacharia Mosothoane confirmed that Ndwandwe was suspended on Monday pending an internal probe to establish the truth regarding his alleged fraudulent activities.
“It is true that he has been suspended. We have decided that he could not sign documents of the organisation and have access to funding of the organisation pending the internal investigation by the union,” Mosothoane said.
He said the union had requested information from the department, which would include the admission by Ndwandwe that he was caught in the wrong.
Ndwandwe was arrested on October 4 for being in possession of a South African ID that was obtained fraudulently.
He was subsequently released on October 6 by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court after his lawyers indicated they would lodge an appeal application against his deportation at the High Court.
Yesterday, department spokesperson Thabo Mokgola declined to shed light on developments into Ndwandwe’s citizenship row with the department and the subsequent legal proceedings.
He also refused to comment on why Ndwandwe had not been deported to his country of origin in the wake of Home Affairs’ findings regarding his illegal documentation.
“Kindly note the Department of Home Affairs is not in a position to comment on the matter as it is a subject of a legal process,” Mokgola said.
Ndwandwe could not be reached for comment yesterday. He had previously refused to be drawn into the subject, saying: “I don’t have any comment on that matter.”
The Pretoria News understands that the union acted against Ndwandwe following a letter from the department, instructing the union’s payroll officials to terminate his contract with immediate
effect.
Ndwandwe was elected as Satawu secretary in 2015 following the cold-blooded killing of former secretary Chris Nkosi, who was gunned down in Ekurhuleni.
He rose to the top position amid much displeasure from some members that he was not capable of grasping union issues.
The controversy surrounding his legality in the country emerged three months after the national union’s general secretary Zenzo Mahlangu was deported to Zimbabwe for being in the country without the necessary permits.
Ndwandwe used to be Mahlangu’s bodyguard and head of union security before he was elected as its provincial secretary.