The City of Tshwane has confirmed that it will challenge the South African Local Government Bargaining Council’s ruling that the five officials implicated in the Rooiwal tender should be compensated and returned to work.
The bargaining council ordered that the officials suspended with full pay in April 2023 when the Democratic Alliance’s Cilliers Brink was executive mayor be compensated two months’ salary for the unfair suspension and that they return to work on 20 January.
TSHWANE OFFICIALS IMPLICATED IN ROOIWAL TENDER NOT RETURNING TO WORK
The South African previously reported that in 2019, tenderpreneur and generous African National Congress (ANC) donor Edwin Sodi secured a R295 million tender in a joint venture with CMS Water Engineering to upgrade the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment plant. However, the contract was terminated following a forensic report indicating only 60% completion by 2022.
In April 2023, the metro municipality announced that it had suspended the five officials after a year-long internal disciplinary process which found the officials guilty on one of the four charges they faced.
The metro municipality said it strongly disagrees with the outcome of the disciplinary process and will appeal the entire outcome at the Labour Court.
The officials were found not guilty on three charges but were found guilty one one charge and the sanction was suspension for one month without pay.
“The City is of the view that their continued presence at the workplace, will be detrimental to the stability of the municipality,” the municipality said at the time.
On Sunday, the City of Tshwane said after giving time and attention to the arbitration award, it is of the view that there were defects in the proceedings and the ruling.
“The City is obligated to challenge the ruling and has enlisted the services of a firm of attorneys to act on its behalf in the handling of this legal matter.
“The lodging of the notice of application against the SALGBC award freezes the legal effect the ruling has in its entirety,” the city said.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING THE ROOIWAL FIVE?
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