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TimesLive reports that Department of Public Works & Infrastructure (DPW&I) director-general Sam Vukela is believed to have returned to work after a two-year legal battle challenging his paid suspension.
Vukela apparently reported for duty on Monday, 25 July for the first time since July 2020, when he was suspended by DPW&I Minister Patricia de Lille. This was in connection with allegedly awarding irregular contracts for state funerals, including that of struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. At the time of the suspension, he was also fingered in a report by the Public Service Commission (PSC), which investigated allegations of irregular appointments within the department’s senior-management service. Vukela’s return to work came a week after the Labour Court dismissed, with costs, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele’s application to review and set aside an arbitration award by the General Public Service Sector Bargaining Council (GPSSBC). The award ordered that Gungubele and De Lille lift Vukela’s suspension after it was found they had committed an unlawful labour practice by suspending him and ordered his immediate return to work. It is unclear if Vukela’s return will be short-lived, as Gungubele has not indicated whether he intends to appeal the ruling. His spokesperson said: “The minister is still studying the judgment and will be properly briefed by the legal team.” Vukela’s five-year contract ends in less than six months.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nonkululeko Njilo at BusinessLive
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