Cosatu affiliate Nehawu is planning legal action against Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Sicelo Shiceka in a bid to stop him from restructuring the department.
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Nehawu is infuriated by Shiceka’s decision to “displace” senior management staff and ask them to reapply for jobs. Employees in lower positions will be placed according to the requirements of the new departmental structure. “We’re definitely going to litigate against this,” said chairperson of Nehawu’s Tshwane region, Gugulethu Xaba. “We don’t agree with the minister’s unilateral decisions.” Xaba said Shiceka had not consulted the unions. “We were still waiting to make representations when we saw positions advertised in the newspapers.”
Nehawu understood that Shiceka’s motive was to fast-track transformation. “The minister has a problem with representation at the top level of his department, but suddenly he wants everyone to contest for their positions,” he said.
Sicelo’s spokesperson Vuyelwa Vika said the restructuring was meant to align the department with its new mandate and had nothing to do with transformation.