Does Setai’s appointment violate public service regulations?

Staff reporter

Virginia – The appointment of Tshidi Setai as acting Chief Director: Government Communications Services despite being a political employee is raising questions about the Premier’s advisor.

Appointed in December 2024, as spin doctor for Joyce “Pretenders” Mathae, a position linked to a political term, Setai has now been appointed to act into an administration post.

According to Chapter 4 of Public Service Regulations, 2016, this is prohibited.

Filling of posts in offices of executive authorities, the Deputy President and Deputy Ministers:

(1) An executive authority may only fill vacancies in the Office of an executive authority, Deputy President, or a Deputy Minister by means of an appointment in terms of section 9 of the Act for the term of office of the incumbent executive authority, Deputy President or Deputy Minister which will terminate at the end of the month after the month in which the term of that executive authority, Deputy President or Deputy Minister terminates for any reason.

(2) Subject to the appointment criteria in regulation 67(5)(b) to (d), an executive authority may fill a post in the Office of the executive authority, Deputy President or a Deputy Minister in terms of subregulation (1) without advertising the post and without convening a selection panel as contemplated in regulations 65 and 67 respectively.

(3) Subregulation (1) shall not be construed as preventing the secondment in terms of section 15(2) or (3) of the Act of a person or an employee or an assignment in terms of section 32 of the Act of an employee to perform the functions of a post in the office of an executive authority, a Deputy President or a Deputy Minister.

(4) An employee employed in terms of subregulation (1) shall not be transferred within the department or to another department.

A human resource practitioner with vast experience in Public Service said this move is legitimising illegality.

“A person appointed in a political office is attached to the term of office and the office of the politician.

Bringing them into administrative roles is a very lazy way of legitimizing an illegality.”

She advised Mathae how to advertise the post, feed her horse all ingredients.

“They are lazy that’s all, there’s a way of bringing your own cronies and lap dogs in government.

Advertise the post, do the shortlist include your own horse and feed it all the ingredients, vitamins and push it ahead of all the others.”

In conclusion she said Mathae can appoint her own panel and give them a mandate to appoint Setai.

“Of course appoint your own referee and linesmen with a very clear mandate… in a month the whole thing is done.

You can justify it, defend it and rationale it although you know that you did so much wrong to conclude it.

No one will win against it.”

Last year, this publication reported a plan to appoint Advocate Mojalefa Molotsi as DDG at Community Safety, Roads and Transport two weeks before even the advert closed.

He was appointed as we reported and who was the MEC then? Joyce Mathae.

In other related news,a storm is brewing at Department of Health over vacant CEO posts at hospitals across the province.

The crux of the brew is the Masechaba Sesing, Head of Department allegedly wants meritocracy to be followed while the Premier allegedly wants deployment.

When Dr Takisi Masiteng, former head of department at Agriculture and Rural Development told Mathae she will collapse governance, he could not have imagined this quick.

Nothing is said about Setai in the leaked document apart from bringing “wealth of experience”.

The whereabouts of where she worked and how she left her previous employment remain unknown for now.

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