Wally Mbhele
Outgoing Department of Correctional Services Commissioner Khulekani Sitole, who this week pre-empted being axed by the Cabinet by submitting his resignation, leaves a legacy which, according to some prisons staff, will take long to correct.
In its submission to the public protector, the Correctional Staff Forum (CSF) – an organisation that is largely credited with blowing the whistle on Sitole’s misrule – has bemoaned the fact that Sitole has “abdicated” the department’s administration to the Police, Prisons and Civil Rights Union (Popcru) “oligarchy”.
Sitole’s departure followed more than seven months of investigations into claims first published by the Mail & Guardian that he ran a professional soccer team from his department, had awarded himself irregular perfomance bonuses and had abused state money by undertaking a series of overseas trips trips at taxpayers’ expense.
The M&G’s reports were substantiated first by the Auditor General, Henry Kluever, who was appointed to investigate the truthfulness of the allegations and further confirmed by the standing committee on public accounts which last week recommended that Sitole be fired as he was deemed unfit to hold high public office.
Sitole’s legacy includes accusations that he ran the department in conjuction with Popcru, whose “unqualified” senior officials have been placed in most strategic management positions at the expense of highly qualified people.
The CSF this week welcomed the government’s announcement that it would launch an investigation to determine the extent of the damage in the department. It is hoped that some senior officials recently suspended and marginalised by Sitole may soon have their positions restored by Minister of Correctional Services Ben Skosana.
The forum points out that the department’s current chief negotiator is a former Popcru general secretary. He also represents Popcru at the central bargaining chamber and he occupies a senior position in Popcru Investment Holdings. He is also director of human resource management in the office of Gauteng’s correctional services commissioner.
The chief deputy commissioner of human resource management is also a Popcru official and activist. Another senior Popcru official is believed to have been appointed director of human resource management in the Western Cape.
Appointments to senior positions are influenced by powerful individuals outside official management structures in the department, the CSF has claimed in a recent letter to President Thabo Mbeki.
Popcru national representative Jafta Siyavuma on Thursday reacted to Sitole’s departure with a tinge of sadness, saying “the whole public service and administration has lost one of its committed and dedicated civil servants”.
Siyavuma said Sitole has shown commitment in implementing core government policies by implementing speedy transformation and affirmative action.
He denied that his organisation supported Sitole because of alleged favouritism towards Popcru officials and instead queried even the presidential review commission’s findings that correctional services was one of the three government department’s lacking a coherent transformation strategy.