In his first major move since becoming communications minister, Solly Malatsi has fired two board members of the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa).
The decision to axe Daphne Kula-Rantho and Boitumelo Mabusela was made “in a bid to restore stability and good governance at the entity”, the ministry said in a statement on Monday evening.
Usaasa collects funds from licensed telecommunications companies and is meant to use this money to fund the deployment of infrastructure and services in underserviced parts of the country. It has been the site of many corruption scandals since its establishment in 1996.
“I have removed the individuals, who are currently employed as civil servants, for failing to obtain approval and to provide evidence of permission from their employers to conduct additional remunerative work outside their official roles, as is required by law,” Malatsi said in the statement.
The minister axed the two directors using the Public Management Act. According to the statement, all monies earned by Kula-Ranto and Mabusela during their tenures at Usaasa have been flagged by the auditor-general as irregular expenditure.
Kula-Ranto is alleged to have earned R1.29-million from March 2021 to July 2024 while Mabusela allegedly earned R366 994 from October 2023 to July 2024. The auditor-general has instructed the communications department to recover this money, a total of R1.65-million, from the sacked individuals.
Separate investigation
Malatsi, in conjunction with acting Usaasa CEO Luyanda Ndlovu, has also launched a separate investigation aimed at determining the veracity of allegations of abuse of state resources against another Usaasa board member, Simphiwe Thobela.
“We will not tolerate the abuse of public funds for the benefit of individuals who fail to uphold the laws of our country. To restore stability and to strengthen good governance at Usaasa, we will immediately initiate processes to replace the two [axed] board members,” said Malatsi. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media
