Manana a man of integrity and high work ethic - staff
Cape Town - The Office of the Public Protector on Sunday said it was unable to immediately confirm the status of a complaint lodged against Higher Education deputy minister Mduduzi Manana five years ago, ostensibly accusing him of abusing his power.
Spokesperson Cleopatra Mosana explained that as the complaint was lodged in 2012 before the tenure of current Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, the office would have to delve into their past records to confirm its status.
The Sunday Times reported that Manana’s ex-head of office Wonga Tabata lodged a complaint against Manana in 2012, claiming that the deputy minister abused his power.
According to the newspaper, Tabata’s grievance follows a phone call in which the deputy minister accused him of "being part of a political grouping that did not want him to succeed as deputy minister" before verbally attacking him the following day accusing him of “dirty political games”.
It also reported that former members of Manana’s staff claimed his “ temper tantrums, blackmail and blatant abuse stretch back at least five years”, including claims from a former secretary who told the newspaper that the deputy minister would phone her in the early hours of the morning, cursing her and threatening her job and would also throw his diary and cellphone at her.