The City of Tshwane is moving forward with a new disciplinary hearing against five officials allegedly linked to the now-cancelled R291m Rooiwal wastewater plant tender. The five officials, who have been suspended for over two years with full pay, are Stevens Notoane, group head for water and sanitation; Thembeka Mphefu, divisional head for supply chain; Frans Manganye, divisional head for electricity planning; Justice Sekokotla, director of electricity; and Dumisani Gubuza, divisional head for water and sanitation.
The Rooiwal tender, awarded to CMS Engineering, a company linked to Blackhead Joint Venture, whose director was businessman and ANC fixer Edwin Sodi, came under scrutiny after over 30 people died during the 2023 cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal. Concerns were raised about the quality of water supplied to residents and whether the Rooiwal plant was linked to the outbreak. The tender was subsequently cancelled, and officials involved in its awarding were suspended and charged with misconduct.
In 2023, a disciplinary committee found the five officials guilty on one charge and sanctioned them with a one-month salary deduction. However, the city took the outcome on review at the labour court, arguing that the sanction was too lenient given the seriousness of the offence. The court granted the city an order to start the disciplinary hearing afresh. The five officials filed an application to challenge the court decision, saying they cannot be subjected to two disciplinary hearings on the same matter.
Tshwane mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi said the city is opposing the officials' challenge because they want the allegations against them to be fully heard and resolved. While the court process continues, the city is moving ahead with separate disciplinary action based on findings from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation. The SIU found that Blackhead Joint Venture's tender submission did not include essential technical specifications, and required documents did not exist when they were purportedly needed.
Charge one, based on the SIU investigation, relates to the alleged deliberate failure to disqualify the Blackhead Joint Venture despite its submission of a non-responsive tender. Charge two concerns the alleged contravention of the City of Tshwane's code of conduct and internal policies. The city said it would not defend procurement decisions made under the previous administration while serious questions about those decisions remained subject to consequence management.
One of the five officials, who asked not to be named, told Sowetan that at the time they had followed the requirements contained in the tender criteria when the contract was awarded. He also denied receiving any financial benefit from the service provider. DA councillor Cilliers Brink said city manager Johann Mettler was determined not to allow what he described as a "slap on the wrist" for serious misconduct.
The city's actions aim to establish what happened, hold officials accountable where the evidence establishes misconduct, and strengthen systems so that residents never again carry the cost of failures like Rooiwal. Ultimately, the DA believes that the relationship between the city and these employees has broken down irretrievably, and it is only because of their labour law rights that this process has been so prolonged.
Key points
- The City of Tshwane is moving forward with a new disciplinary hearing against five officials allegedly linked to the now-cancelled R291m Rooiwal wastewater plant tender.
- The officials have been suspended for over two years with full pay, and the city is opposing their challenge to the court decision to start the disciplinary hearing afresh.
- The city's actions aim to establish what happened, hold officials accountable, and strengthen systems to prevent similar failures in the future.
