A litany of “embarrassing moments” is behind the suspension of the provincial education department’s administration boss, Dr Naledi Mbude, on Tuesday.
The problems include a failure to deliver textbooks to schools on time, the nonpayment of education assistants’ salaries over the 2021 festive season, and the forfeiture to the National Treasury of over R205m of the much-needed infrastructure grant.
On Wednesday, just less than a year after assuming the hot seat as the department’s superintendent-general in June, Mbude was placed on precautionary suspension, on full pay and with immediate effect, by her boss, Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane.
While Mbude could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, Mabuyane’s spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie confirmed the suspension, amid “a number of issues emanating from the work of the department”.
Rantjie said Mbude’s suspension was “pending an investigation on critical matters impacting teaching and learning in the province”.
“The precautionary suspension of the HOD creates space for government to investigate these matters,” Rantjie said.
Former education MEC and a senior official at Mabuyane’s office, Mahlubandile Qwase, will act as the education department administration head during Mbude’s suspension.
Rantjie said Mabuyane had appointed an investigating team led by senior officials from his department and the provincial Treasury to probe allegations against Mbude and to report to the premier within a month.
“While the premier views this as a matter of public interest, he will resist the temptation to engage further on matters of employer and employee relations in the public domain,” Rantjie said.
DispatchLIVE has seen a confidential letter, dated March 23, in which Mabuyane told Mbude that these incidents, which he described as “glaring failures”, embarrassed the provincial government and attracted “bad publicity” to the province.
In the letter, Mabuyane said he had warned Mbude about failure to spend the infrastructure grant, saying this would not be tolerated, while he also told her that her department’s failure to deliver books and pay education assistants’ salaries, were an embarrassment to the provincial government which had left him “dismayed”.
He added: “The provincial government has and continues to receive negative publicity and reputational damage from all these and possibly other glaring failures by the department to discharge its responsibilities.
“I view these matters and their impact on the department, the provincial government and the people of our province, in a serious light.”
Contacted for comment on Wednesday, the MEC Fundile Gade said he could not comment as he was in a meeting discussing Mbude’s suspension with the department’s other top administration bosses.
When the second term of schooling commenced this week, some schools in the province were yet to receive their textbooks and other pupil support material.
In a letter dated April 5 and seen by DispatchLIVE, Mabuyane revealed that he had written to Mbude in the past, asking her to provide reasons why she should not be placed on paid suspension.
When she did so, her rebuttals did not appease the premier, and she was suspended.
In his letter of suspension Mabuyane said: “In order to ascertain the veracity of the allegations made, it is important that an investigator be allowed untrammeled access to all documents and personnel.
“Suspension is not a punitive measure, and I do not seek to punish you in any way.
“However, I have considered your written representations, and I am not convinced that your continued presence in the department will not hinder the investigation.”
Mbude was then barred from entering any departmental premises and was asked to hand over all departmental equipment to Gade.
On Wednesday, DA MPL Yusuf Cassim said the reasons for Mabuyane’s decision to suspend Mbude “raises serious questions”.
Cassim said during a Bhisho legislature education portfolio committee meeting this week: “Dr Mbude’s responses to our questions have given a glimpse into the extent of the rot inside the department.”
EFF MPL Yazini Tetyana said his party welcomed Mbude’s suspension, but called for Mabuyane to be consistent when dealing with other similar cases.
Last month, Mbude was forced to apologise when the department was taken to court over its failure to provide textbooks on time to some schools.
DispatchLIVE
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