NEHAWU WANTS WILLIE HOFMEYER GONE AT SIU -THIS IS WHY

SPECIAL INVESTIGATING UNIT {SIU} FACT SHEET

Introduction

The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) represent more than 303 employees out of a total workforce of 506 at the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). NEHAWU is the only recognized union within SIU. The vast majority of employees at the SIU have exercised their constitutional right to associate themselves with their union of choice NEHAWU in order to defend their individual interests and also advance their collective interests at the SIU.

This fact sheet is meant to deal with the conspiracy theories and the hysteria that greeted our call for the removal of the SIU Head Willie Hofmeyer.It clearly sets out the contributing factors that led to a decision by the union to call for the removal of Mr Willie Hofmeyer.

Racial composition and analysis of the SIU Executive Committee

The policy framework that governs the structure of the SIU Executive Committee provides for the following 5 positions; The Head of the Unit, The deputy Head of the Unit, The director of Operations, The head of Shared Services and Head of Internal Integrity Governance, Performance Management and Communication:

The current SIU Executive Committee consists of the following;

1. The SIU Executive Committee is exclusively male dominated.

2. The SIU Executive Committee consists of 3 White and 1 African male.

3. Two members of the SIU Executive Committee serve in an acting capacity.

4. One member, the Head of Strategy, has been co-opted to the SIU Executive Committee contrary to the policy framework that governs the structure of the SIU Executive Committee.

5. The emerging trend is that anyone can be co-opted to the SIU Executive Committee, depending on the position you hold in the SIU.

6. The Head of the Executive Committee serves as the head of both the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the SIU, consequently acting in both positions.

Racial composition and analysis of Senior Managers

1. The positions of SIU Regional Heads are exclusively male dominated.

2. The SIU Regional Head of Nelspruit is the only female however serving in an acting capacity.

3. The positions of SIU Regional Heads represents to some extent a balance in race demographics, however

4. The positions of SIU Heads of Departments located at the Head Office are exclusively white and male dominated.

5. Out of the 10 positions reserved for SIU Heads of Departments, 7 are occupied by White males, 2 are occupied by White females and 1 position occupied by an African male.

6. It must be noted that the 2 white females serve as acting heads.

7. Out of the 10 positions reserved for SIU Heads of Departments, 3 are serving as acting heads.

Managers Dismissed or forced to resign

The following African Senior Managers were dismissed or resigned;

1. Mr Faick David, previously Deputy Head of SIU, suspended for the whole year and ultimately dismissed, his matter is with the CCMA;

2. Mr Mike Leaser, Western Cape Regional Head, on suspension for more than 4 months;

3. NEHAWU member, Ms Miresia Nyathi, Head of Business Support, suspended and ultimately dismissed;

4. Mr Solumku Sokupa, appointed by the Minister, realised that SIU not ready for transformation and ultimately resigned.

Incidents of victimization

The leadership and membership of NEHAWU at SIU branches experienced the following;

1. The laptop of our leadership in PTA was taken by Internal Integrity Unit (IIU), without any reasons.

2. The Regional Head of the SIU Durban Office instructed the Internal Integrity Unit{IIU} to investigate our local leadership for misconduct at the SIU Durban Office for allegedly addressing temporary staff members without permission.

3. The NEHAWU Chairperson of the SIU Durban Branch filed a grievance in June 2011. To date the grievance has not been investigated, instead the SIU is forcing the NEHAWU Branch Chairperson to take a polygraph test.

4. During October 2010, a black staff member in the Durban office was called a baboon by a white staff member. No immediate action was taken against the white staff member, despite several calls. Action only started happening after the story was reported in the Sunday Times.

Agreements that have not been implemented

The Union concluded agreements with the management of the SIU on the 28^th October 2010. The implementation thereto remains outstanding to date. This forced the union to declare a dispute on the non-implementation of the following resolutions.

1. Career pathing and skills development.

2. Salary grading

3. Absorption of temporary workers into permanent positions.

4. Housing allowance

5. Medical Aid

Examples of Lack of Transformation:

1. No Employment Equity Plan in place, signed and operative within the SIU.

In the absence of the employment equity plan the SIU recruits white male employees who have been medically boarded from SAPS, thus negatively impacting on employment equity within the workplace and Career Pathing and Skills Development of current staff, the vast majority being African. 

2. No recruitment policy in place hence the abnormal recruitment in the SIU.

3. Short listing of more whites than Africans in the recruitment processes, thus more White employees are occupying more senior and strategic positions.

4. Complex procurement investigations are given to whites and Africans are chasing Acknowledgement of Debt (AOD), which constitute inferior investigations.

5. The over reliance and dependency on private consultants and investigating firms at a huge cost to the SIU and not building internal capacity to do the work. 

General Conclusions and Considerations:

NEHAWU convened 2 National Meetings on the 6 May 2011 and 31 August 2011. These meetings brought together all the respective NEHAWU SIU Branch Leadership, Provincial and National NEHAWU SIU Coordinators in South Africa. The meetings concluded as follows;

1. That the SIU as an institution performed well in terms of its mandate and in the public eye remains an effective institution, however this came at the expense of the majority of SIU Employees.

2. That the Head of the SIU is also the Head of the Asset Forfeiture Unit, thus not in a position to internally manage the SIU effectively and efficiently.

3. That there is no transformation in the SIU. That the investigation machinery of the SIU is used against staff, even in the event of legitimate grievances and complaints.

4. That private consultants and investigating firms comes at a huge cost to the SIU, and prohibits the Career Pathing and Skills Development of current staff.

5. That there is a complete breakdown of the relationship between the majority of the SIU employees and the Head of the Unit, based on the number of internal contributing factors that remained unresolved within the SIU.

6. That the Union should make a public call on the President of South Africa to replace the current Head of the SIU with a new head to strengthen the SIU to continue to deliver on its mandate but more importantly to lead the internal transformation process within the SIU.

Statement issued by Sizwe Pamla, NEHAWU Media Liaison Officer, September 11 2011

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