Mo Shaik’s latest appointment the very definition of cadre deployment

21 February 2020

Statements yesterday by the former Head of Intelligence, Mo Shaik, following his resignation as Special Advisor to Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation (DHSWS), are nothing but brazen.

By his own admission, Shaik was initially appointed for undefined purposes by Minister Sisulu as Special Advisor IV at a Grade 16 Public Service payscale (R1.9m per annum at notch a).

Following the DA’s relentless pursuit opposing his appointment, Shaik resigned and was placed in a part-time position on an advisory committee of the Department.

For Shaik to then come out in the media noting that his resignation was merely ‘technical’ is not only disingenuous but brazen.

Shaik’s appointment as Special Advisor and subsequent re-appointment onto a tax-payer funded advisory committee of the Department, earning R7 000 per day for a maximum of 15 days per month is the very definition of cadre deployment.

That Shaik or Sisulu would then see it fit to defend such a game of cadre deployment chess is a slap in the face to all South Africans.

The DA will remain steadfast in our pursuit of rooting out cronyism in government. It is high time the ruling party stopped putting their personal agendas ahead of the South African people.

The DA is awaiting responses on our Promotion of Access to Information Act request for full recruitment and selection and remuneration details of all Ministerial Office and National Rapid Response Task Team staffers appointed by Minister Sisulu and will continue to relentlessly expose this under-handed behaviour.

Issued by Emma Powell, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, 21 February 2020