A decision in 2023 to hire a senior Eastern Cape transport department official with allegedly dodgy qualifications has come back to haunt senior government administrators.
It is understood that two top officials are now in the department’s crosshairs for their alleged role in the appointment process, and that others may come under scrutiny in coming weeks.
The department’s deputy director for employee relations, Phelisile Melane, was placed on precautionary suspension on Friday, pending disciplinary proceedings, for allegedly submitting fake qualifications when applying for his lucrative post.
Melane was arrested by the Hawks on June 24, and later charged with fraud, forgery and uttering for allegedly using bogus academic qualifications to secure the job in 2023.
He is out on R3,000 bail and will appear again in the Qonce magistrate’s court in November after the case was postponed on Monday.
It is the state’s case that Melane allegedly prejudiced the department by more than R2.4m, paid out to him in salaries and benefits, since his controversial appointment.
According to the Hawks, he allegedly “knowingly and unlawfully misrepresented his academic qualifications, creating the false impression that he possessed the credentials required for his appointment”.
He was slapped with a suspension letter by Eastern Cape transport department head Andile Fani on Friday.
Melane could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
However, department spokesperson Unathi Binqose confirmed that he had been placed on suspension after an internal probe identified alleged irregularities in his qualifications and the appointment process.
The Dispatch broke the story of the controversy surrounding Melane’s appointment in late 2025, but the department refrained from commenting until now.
“The department has concluded an internal investigation into allegations relating to this appointment,” Binqose said.
“When the allegations first emerged in the public domain, the department deliberately refrained from commenting while the matter was under investigation.
“This approach was taken to safeguard the integrity of the investigation, protect all parties involved and ensure that due process was followed in accordance with the department’s investigation policy.”
Melane’s long-anticipated suspension came after Fani had sanctioned an independent fact-finding investigation which “examined the recruitment and selection process, verified the qualifications relied upon during the appointment, and considered documentary evidence together with representations from all affected parties”.
Binqose confirmed that the probe had identified other officials “whose conduct may warrant disciplinary action” but declined to identify them in the interest of procedural fairness.
However, several insiders confirmed that the officials in the crosshairs for their alleged role in the appointment were senior officials.
The Dispatch has elected not to name the officials, who could not be contacted for comment on Tuesday.
“There are other players involved, but those ones know how to keep their fingers clean...”
Binqose said the department was “considering the appropriate administrative and disciplinary measures arising from the investigation, and it is anticipated that additional precautionary suspensions may follow as these processes are concluded”.
“The department views this matter as part of its broader commitment to strengthening governance, accountability and integrity within its human resource management systems.
“To this end, all recruitment processes underway are being subjected to enhanced oversight and quality assurance, including additional scrutiny by the office of the head of department before appointments are finalised.
“Where irregular appointments are identified, the department will not hesitate to institute corrective and disciplinary measures in accordance with the applicable legislative and regulatory framework.”
The lid on Melane’s allegedly dodgy qualifications was blown open last year when an unsuccessful candidate challenged his appointment at the bargaining council.
Nehawu shop steward Nkosinathi Malinga, who had urged the department to investigate the appointment, said the union welcomed the decisive action taken by Fani.
“This action is long overdue but necessary to deter other [allegedly] irregular appointments in the department.
“Irregular appointments are not born of the successful candidate but are born from processes conducted by senior departmental officials, who too should be held accountable.
“We say more heads should roll,” Malinga said.
Daily Dispatch
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