City Press sources indicate that the South African Weather Service is seeking to recoup more than R1 million owed as a result of dubious service-level contracts with external firms. Ex-Head of Human Resources, Julia Mphafudi, is said to have sanctioned these deals, which are suspected of circumventing appropriate supply chain procedures.
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Mnikeli Ndabambi, the executive manager at the meteorological service, has filed a lawsuit in the Johannesburg High Court, seeking to have the service agreements with Buang Recruitment Specialists & Dinaledi Human Capital reviewed as well as invalidated. Ndabambi alleges that these contracts, which occurred between September 2017 and 2019, were illegally carried out.
An independent forensic inquiry initiated by SAWS has revealed multiple claims of malfeasance and inappropriate spending. The research revealed that Buang Recruitment Specialists hired people for the government-owned firm without adhering to any supply chain procedures in many situations.
Ndabambi additionally claims that Julia Mphafudi composed the rationale for payment authorization only subsequent to Buang’s submission of bills. Allegations have been made regarding similar anomalies in the hiring of Dinaledi, where it is claimed that production chain protocols were ignored.
According to court documents, there is no evidence or accessible records to suggest that any supply chain procedures were observed. There was no indication that any of the conditions on the payment authorization checklist were complete. Upon closer examination of the records, it was discovered that Ms. Julia Mphafudi irregularly authorized the formal justification and bill.
SA Weather Service Targets Julia Mphafudi, Seeks Refund
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) is currently seeking to recover an amount above R1 million, resulting from contracts with external organizations that are being investigated for their questionable performance levels.
https://za.linkedin.com/in/julia-mphafudi-mphafudi-29419b111
These contracts are accused of violating supplier chain procedures & were supposedly approved by Julia Mphafudi, who served as the head of human resources. The SAWS is currently implementing efforts to address and correct these possibly inappropriate contracts and retrieve the cash that was involved.
The primary concern is to resolve the alleged breaches of supplier chain regulations and establish responsibility for the approval of these agreements by Julia Mphafudi.
Application for Reconsideration
The application outlines a legal circumstance in which both a suspension & a reconsideration application were quickly denied. Since October 28, 2020, the PFA (likely a regulatory or oversight entity) has regularly contacted the South African Weather Service, which happens to be a party to the judicial proceeding, requesting comments on a complaint. The South African Weather Service did not respond until the February 12 determination date, despite repeated tries.
The reconsideration application gets criticized for being insufficient because it is only an email with no annexures, attachments, or supporting paperwork. The Tribunal, which is responsible for reviewing the application, lacks appropriate information to reach a decision on its merits due to a lack of essential papers.
The application concludes by claiming that the South African Weather Service cannot justify its lack of action, carelessness, or incompetence in this matter, implying that the rejection of the applications could be attributed to the South African Weather Service’s failure to comply with procedural requirements or adequately address the problems at hand.
Julia Mphafudi Linked to SA Weather Service’s Pursuit of Invalid Contracts
According to a City Press article, the South African Weather Service (Saws) is making every effort to collect more than R1 million from questionable contract terms with external companies, which are reportedly breaking supply chain standards. According to reports, these contracts were authorized by Julia Mphafudi, the former Head of Human Resources.
The meteorology service’s executive manager, Mnikeli Ndabambi, submitted the matter to the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, requesting an investigation & cancellation of service contracts among Saws & Buang Recruitment Specialists and Dinaledi Human Capital. According to Ndabambi’s court affidavit, the contested contracts ran from September 2017 to September 2019.
In response to claims of misbehavior and irregular spending, Saws launched a forensic inquiry in early 2019, which was led by Messrs (Incorporated), an independent investigation firm. The report, which was delivered to Saws in July 2019, necessitated a thorough investigation into the internal implications and the recovery of losses linked with the contested service level agreements.
The examination, according to Ndabambi, uncovered a lack of adherence to supply chain procedures, notably with regard to Buang Recruitment Specialist’s recruitment efforts for the state-owned firm. Notably, Mphafudi has been charged with only providing a reason for approval of payments after Buang had submitted bills, implying probable approval violations.
As Saws pursues legal action to declare these agreements unlawful, null, and void, Julia Mphafudi’s involvement raises doubts about the authority and oversight of these agreements during the time she served as head of human resources. The case emphasizes the necessity of transparency and following proper procedures in binding contracts between state-owned enterprises.
Addressing Allegations: Providing Responses and Clarification
The article addresses Ms. Julia Mphafudi’s contentious appointment to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), raising issues about the recruiting process, wage discrepancies, and suspected misbehavior. The data is laid out in a number of labeled points, each of which addresses a different aspect of Ms. Julia Mphafudi’s job and actions inside the business.
Process of Recruitment:
The information opens by describing the events that led to Ms. Mphafudi’s selection as General Manager of Human Capital Management. It implies that specific board members impacted her selection on the shortlist of contenders for the position and that her hiring procedure included psychological assessments.
Results of Psychometric Testing:
It claims that Julia Mphafudi’s psychometric test results were inadequate, indicating a need for improvement. Despite this, the Board is said to have disregarded the results and nominated her, raising concerns about the method of selection.
Increase in Salary:
According to the story, the Board collaborated with persons campaigning for Julia Mphafudi’s nomination and granted her an exaggerated salary rise within a year of her work. It claims the remuneration was increased by R400,000, implying a lack of openness.
Handling Legal Issues:
The role of Julia Mphafudi in addressing legal concerns involving former SAWS CEO Dr. Linda Makuleni is explored. Her activities allegedly resulted in unnecessary expenditure as a result of an out-of-court settlement made to Dr. Makuleni, raising questions regarding competency and probable corruption.
Allegation of CEO Undermining:
Julia Mphafudi is accused of undermining the existing CEO and operating the firm through the Board. It implies that she pursues Board resolutions even when they contradict the CEO’s ideas.
Disparities in Pay:
There are claims made about Julia Mphafudi’s role in fixing compensation inequities inside the firm, implying a hurried procedure with consequences for employees.
Disciplinary Process Confirmation:
During her interview for the SAWS position, Ms. Mphafudi stated that she was going through an investigation with her former employer, Safcol. However, it calls into question her allegation that the allegations were dropped.
The story continues by raising questions regarding Julia Mphafudi’s competency, corruption, and the Board’s stated motivations in selecting her. It raises concerns about SAWS’s openness, adherence to governance standards, and possible misbehavior.
Conclusion
According to City Press, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) is attempting to recoup about R1 million in service-level contracts approved by Julia Mphafudi, the former Head of Human Resources.
Mnikeli Ndabambi, Executive Manager, has filed a legal action to have service contracts with Buang Recruitment Specialists and Dinaledi Human Capital examined and cancelled. These allegedly illegitimate contracts are being scrutinized for possible violations of supply chain procedures.
SAWS commissioned an independent forensic investigation, which discovered allegations of wrongdoing and wasteful spending. It revealed occasions where Buang Recruitment Specialists hired people without following supply chain procedures.
Julia Mphafudi’s approval processes, according to Ndabambi, were irregular, with explanations for payment authorization formed only after Buang submitted invoices.
The involvement of Julia Mphafudi during her tenure as head of human resources raises questions about the authorization and management of these contracts, as SAWS attempts to declare these agreements void. The case underlines the need of transparency and following proper procedures in state-owned enterprise contractual agreements.
