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The Hawks in Limpopo have denied dropping an investigation into the qualifications of a labour relations director who a union claims enjoys protection because he is Premier Stanley Mathabatha’s henchman.
When applying for the job in 2013, labour relations director Michael Maseko claimed that he had a diploma accredited by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) that he obtained after passing modules in substantive law, jurisdictional rulings, conciliations, managing dismissals, and arbitration 1 and 2.
City Press has seen his CV.
Although Maseko held a diploma in labour law and had served as an arbitrator for various councils and even owned a consulting firm, it is not clear why he embellished his qualifications and referred to the course he had attended for five months in 2005, for which he was issued a certificate, as a diploma course.
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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) laid several charges with the Hawks in 2020 against Mathabatha, claiming that he was aware of fraudulent activities in his office but turned a blind eye to them.
Nehawu approached the CCMA about Maseko’s “diploma”, and the CCMA indicated that the course was an in-house training programme that was not a registered qualification with the SA Qualifications Authority.
“The CCMA is not a higher education institution which can offer a diploma. It offers a commissioners’ training programme, which is assessed as per set criteria,” the CCMA said.
Nehawu members claimed that they were dissatisfied with the Hawks’ snail’s pace in dealing with Maseko’s matter and said that members of the elite police unit had been “captured”.
“The Hawks obtained everything in 2020, but the premier has been defensive about this matter.
A Nehawu member said:
“When we raised the matter, Maseko had earned about R1.2 million. Now, he has earned between R6 million and R8 million, including his salary and benefits,” he added.
The relationship between Mathabatha and Nehawu has been frosty, and the union claims that its activists were being targeted for dismissals.
Last week, Limpopo Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said that the matter was still under investigation.
“There is no delay with investigations, but hiccups pertaining to obtaining necessary documents from the office of the premier. All necessary documents required to assist with the investigation have been acquired. Some will still be sought during the course of an investigation, should a need arise,” Maluleke said.
“The Hawks are not captured,” he added, “we investigate without fear or favour.”
Mathabatha’s spokesperson, Willy Mosoma, said that the office of the premier did not have records stating that Maseko claimed to have qualifications obtained from the CCMA.
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“Therefore, we dismiss the allegations as unfounded. What we have on record is the fact that Mr Maseko had the necessary qualification, proven by the SA Qualifications Authority, by the time of his appointment on January 1 2013,” Mosoma said.
When directed to look at Maseko’s CV, Mosoma admitted that Maseko typed the CCMA’s certificate as a diploma on his CV.
“Please look at the first qualification Mr Maseko mentioned, the one from the Graduate Institute of Management and Technology, diploma labour law – it is NQF level 6. That alone qualified him for the position, even without the teacher’s diploma and the CCMA certificate.
“What [the premier’s office] did, was to satisfy itself and, on investigation, it was found that the labour law diploma from the Graduate Institute of Management and Technology was legitimate and, itself alone, relevant and sufficient for the position of senior manager: HR, as advertised in 2012,” he said.
Mosoma said that Mathabatha’s office had a working relationship with the Hawks on their investigations and had provided them with necessary documentation and support.
He added:
“In addition, we call upon those members of the union who continue to tarnish the name of the premier and the provincial government to desist from such unwarranted acts and concentrate on the mandate of government which is the delivery of basic services to the people.”
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