Richards Bay - There are murmurs within the corridors of the troubled Mhlathuze water board in Richards Bay in northern KwaZulu-Natal over the entity’s Risk Manager, who is doing her work while living in the USA with her husband.
Bongi Sithole-Sikhosana left her workstation in October 2021 to be in the US to get her green card, and she never returned after striking a deal with the water board.
According to sources within the water board, Sithole-Sikhosana asked the water board to allow her to work remotely during the Covid-19 era.
NEWS: There are murmurs within the corridors of troubled Mhlathuze water board over the entity’s Risk Manager who is doing her work while living in the USA with her husband. Bongi Sithole-Sikhosana left her workstation in Oct 2021 to be in the US to get her green card. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 16, 2023
Sithole-Sikhosana only sought board approval 6 months after she left for the US. That is contained in minutes of a meeting of the board, which was held on 28 April 2022.
Her request was granted, and she left for the US to briefly get her green card (a permanent resident card which allows you to live and work permanently in the United States).
Things allegedly changed when she did not return to her station like all other senior managers, and she remained in the US while connecting with staff via virtual platforms.
“Other managers started complaining her work was critical for the survival of the organisation and that she should come back.
“We heard that she directly approached the chairperson of the board (Thabi Shange), and she was allowed to continue to work from the US,” one source told IOL.
It was also alleged that Sithole-Sikhosana has been taking questionable decisions that led to the unfair firing of staff while she has been away.
“That person does not know what is happening within the water board, yet she is quick to recommend that employees be disciplined or fired,” another source said.
However, the water entity’s spokesperson, Siyabonga Maphumulo, said their hands are tied by the fact that they are unable to hire officials until its merger with the Umgeni water board is completed.
“The Risk Manager entered into an agreement, in October 2021, with the management of Mhlathuze Water to temporarily work remotely from the United States.
“This arrangement was to allow for the facilitation of the green card as required by the US government following her partner’s move to that country due to work commitments.
“The green card application process was delayed due to systems backlogs occasioned by the breakout of Covid-19.
“Due to the critical nature of her job, particularly at a time when Mhlathuze Water faced major risks that posed a direct threat to the business continuity of the organisation, and later the moratorium put in place by the Minister of Water and Sanitation on the filling of vacant posts until the finalisation of the reconfiguration of the two water boards in KZN, Mhlathuze Water retained the services of the Risk Manager, who continues to effectively render a critical service to the Water Board,” Maphumulo said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, has issued a government notice where he said the new water board, to cover the entire KwaZulu-Natal, will be called Umngeni-uThukela water board, taking names of the two biggest rivers in the province.
This is contained in a government gazette signed by Mchunu, dated 3 May 2023, where he is calling all those who wish to object, to do so with this month.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
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