Magashule’s niece goes back Social Development

Questions are mounting as to how and why the niece of the former Free State Premier and now suspended secretary general of the ANC, Ace Magashule moved up the ladder.

Following our article that showed how the Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation is the epicentre of nepotism in the province, Step Up SA News has more.

Masabata Magashule joined Social Development in 2009 as a registry clerk which is a salary level 5 position. This appointment occurred shortly after the exco reshuffle by the then Premier Ace Magashule, which saw Sisi Ntombela appointed as MEC of Social Development.

She was later permanently appointed assistant director at salary level 9 and then as a call centre manager in November 2016, a few months after Limakatso Mahasa replaced Sisi Ntombela as the MEC for Social Development. This call centre manager position was not only four levels higher but had ceased to exist long before she was appointed at the department of Social Development.

Step Up SA News has established that her appointment was done without consideration of the department’s operational requirements as the position of call centre manager was not vacant and did not address any operational requirements of staff shortage in the department. What instead occurred was that the officials who previously worked in the call centre were transferred to other directorates because the function was abolished from the departmental structure.

Thereafter she was again promoted within two years and seconded to the Office of the MEC at the Department of Economic, Small Business, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) which is where Mahasa was redeployed in May 2018 by Ace Magashule at the tail end of his term as the head of the province.

She continued to follow Mahasa to Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation where she was again seconded to the Office of the MEC as the private secretary to Mahasa herself.

According to the Public Servants Association of South Africa, a secondment is a temporary move of an employee – within 12 calendar months – to another department or agency in the core public administration (Schedule I and IV of the Financial Administration Act). Furthermore, it is a temporary move of an employee to another department. With this in mind, Step Up SA News has in good authority she will be heading back to Social Development from 1 October 2021 ending a 3 year secondment. She will return to her position Assistant Director: Call Centre Manager.

Step Up Sa News discovered Masabata’s progression from levels 5 to 9 and g secondment to level 12 is very unusual as you can only be appointed 2 levels up. She however moved 4 levels up in 2016 and her secondment of 3 levels up is outside regulations.

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Step Up Sa News asked the acting HOD of Social Development Advocate TJ Phahlo what skills does Masabata have to be seconded as required by the Public Service Act and he said.

 “Ms Magashule is suitably-experienced in the protocol matters within the Private Office of the Executive Authority. She acquired experience in three departments, namely Social Development, DESTEA and Sports Arts and Culture.”

It’s clear Masabata was seconded to acquire skills instead of her skills paving the way for her secondment.

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When asked should it be established that the secondment was done outside Public Service Act would he as the accounting office engage the political head – the MEC – to reverse the secondment he said, “In terms of Section 5 (7)(a) of the Public Service Act, 1994 “a functionary shall correct any action or omission purportedly made in terms of this Act by that functionary, if the action or omission was based on an error of fact or law or fraud and it is in the public interest to correct an action or omission.”

He added that, “In 2016, records reflect that Ms Magashule was appointed following measures contained in the recruitment processes. For background purposes, Regulation 66(1) (a) of the Public Service Regulations, 2016, allows an executive authority to appoint suitable persons of their own choosing in their offices to support them by permitting their appointment without advertising.”

It’s not clear what made Masabata suitable.

A quick search online shows minimum requirement for Assistant Director: Call Centre is National Diploma in Marketing, Communication or Journalism while sources say Masabata has National Diploma in Engineering.