Riyaz Patel
Suspended Secretary to Parliament, Gengezi Mgidlana, should be summarily dismissed immediately, a sitting of the House has unanimously moved.
There were no objections when the motion came before the House Thursday afternoon.
Mgidlana has been on paid special leave since June 2017.
A disciplinary committee found him guilty on a series of serious misconduct charges and recommended in August that he be fired.
The charges include accepting an ex gratia payment of more than R71,000,00 allowing his wife to travel with him at Parliament’s expense, and appointing a chief information officer who did not meet the minimum requirements for the post.
Mgidlana was also found to have abused the Parliamentary Protection Services by having members drive his wife and a relative, and for failing to stop drivers from using blue lights and sirens when ferrying him around.
He was further sanctioned for wrongful use of a credit card and for chairing a Special Bid Adjudication Committee.
Mgidlana’s dismissal must still be endorsed by the National Council of Provinces.
The decision was backed by all parties including the ANC.
Democratic Alliance chief whip John Steenhuisen said it would have been easy for Parliament to simply let Mgidlana’s contract expire in November.
“But the Speaker and Parliament are sending a clear message out, that we’re not going to allow Mr Mgidlana, given the serious gravity of the charges that he’s been found guilty of, to slip off into the night into another cushy job – and that he’s going to be dismissed by Parliament.”
The EFF’s Veronica Mente described Mgidlana as “a corrupt thug” and warned against cadre employment in the appointment of a new permanent Secretary to Parliament.
