Pravin Gordhan’s chief of staff goes to school

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan’s chief of staff, Nthabiseng Borotho, who was appointed to the R1.6-million-a-year job without requisite qualifications, has enrolled for a short course and South Africans will pay almost R100 000 for her education.

The “Sunday Independent” reported in March 2020 how Gordhan strong-armed then public service and administration minister Senzo Mchunu to appoint Borotho in August 2019 as she “doesn’t possess an NQF7 qualification required” or have “the minimum requirements for the position of chief of staff”.

Shortly after her appointment, Borotho turned the ministry into a family recruitment agency by hiring her half-sister, Nancy Panduva, to the Cape Town office as well as another family member, Debbie Malopa, as a driver, in the same office.

The “Sunday Independent” can today reveal that Borotho has registered for a short course with an international institution of learning and taxpayers are going fork out R97 000 for a six-month human resources course at Regenesys Business School.

Insiders in the department claim that Borotho got financial assistance for her course even though she didn’t apply for it as per norm. The closing date for financial assistance for officials who want to study was January 14 this year and it was then extended by 14 days.

“Nthabiseng’s name wasn’t submitted as an applicant for financial assistance to the training committee for acting DG Jacky Molisane’s approval but now we are told that the department has put aside almost R100 000 for a short course,” said a senior official within the department, who asked not to be named.

Another source said Colin Cruywagen, who was the spokesperson for former minister Lynne Brown, and is still a senior official within the department, had applied for R30 000 financial assistance towards his PhD degree but his application was turned down.

Cruywagen yesterday refused to comment, saying he isn’t allowed to speak to the press.

Former department spokesperson and journalist Sam Mkokeli was forced to resign after criticising Gordhan for launching an investigation to find out who was the whistle-blower who leaked information that Borotho didn’t possess the required qualifications for the job.

Shortly after our exposé of Borotho’s appointment without proper qualifications, Gordhan hired forensic investigators Abacus Financial Crime Advisory, at a cost of R250 000, to hunt for the whistle-blower and this decision didn’t sit well with Mkokeli.

Shortly before Mkokeli resigned, he had also raised an official complaint about Borotho’s “stunning incompetence” in the department and publicly started that Gordhan was “fully aware of my disdain for both incompetence and dishonesty”.

Mkokeli claimed he was targeted after he lodged a complaint against Borotho, and his then lawyer, Clifford Levin, at the time said: “We note with extreme concern that Mkokeli, who should be protected by the Protection Disclosures Act, has been targeted.”

In a statement to Levin at the time, Mkokeli said: “Pravin Gordhan was only recently the face of our highest ethical and democratic ideals and we should never snuff out whistle-blowers in his name or right under his nose.

“Forensic investigations into whistle-blowers will create an environment of fear and dictatorship, exactly the things the ‘New Dawn’ was meant to replace.”

Mkokeli yesterday refused to comment about the matter.

Department spokesperson Ellis Mnyandu failed to answer detailed questions sent to him about Borotho’s latest academic debacle.

Previously the department defended her appointment as chief of staff even though she didn’t meet the minimum requirements for the position.

The department claimed that Borotho held a diploma in human resources which she obtained in 1999 from Varsity College after she matriculated in 1997. But officials claim they haven’t even seen her qualifications from Varsity College as it was just mentioned in her CV without the diploma being attached.

In a press statement at the time, the department said: “The appointment took cognisance of Ms Borotho’s competence, experience, as well as recognition of prior learning, an established concept in skills development.

“Ms Borotho was duly appointed after approval was granted by the ministry of public service and administration, in accordance with the requirements of the Public Service Act. Thus, Ms Borotho’s appointment was done with absolute compliance to public service requirements, regulations and the law.”

A source, who asked not to be named, said yesterday: “It is very interesting, to say the least, that the department had previously claimed that Nthabiseng has a HR diploma from Varsity College and now she is doing a short course in human resources management.”