Human Settlements Minister Thembisile Simelane has appointed former Unisa Enterprise (UE) chief executive and chair Lesetsa Matshekga as her special advisor, despite his rocky tenure at the troubled University of South Africa (Unisa) subsidiary.
Matshekga assumed the advisory position on 1 April this year and will advise the minister on policy and strategic matters which relate to the department’s mandate.
Simelane hired ex-Unisa Enterprise CEO Matshekga
Matshekga’s appointment has raised eyebrows due to challenges that engulfed UE during his tenure, including allegations of financial mismanagement, retrenchments, labour disputes and unpaid salaries.
Special advisors rank among the highest-paid political appointees in government, earning between R1.3 million and R2.7 million a year.
They serve at the pleasure of the minister and are appointed based on policy considerations rather than through the ordinary public service recruitment process.
Responding through his attorneys, Dumakude & Co Inc, Matshekga disputed suggestions he should be held personally responsible for difficulties at UE.
The firm’s director, Sicelo Dumakude, confirmed Matshekga had vacated the UE position of CEO in March but was assisting the entity in a consultancy capacity until the end of this month.
He said UE had experienced difficult trading conditions but said Matshekga had helped steer the organisation through a challenging time by securing new business opportunities.
UE had experienced difficult trading conditions
Dumakude added that no adverse findings or declarations had been made against Matshekga in relation to the operational and financial challenges that were experienced by UE.
“There has currently been no adverse finding and/or declaration that he was personally responsible for such challenges,” he said.
Simelane’s spokesperson, Tsekiso Machike, said Matshekga’s appointment complied fully with the Public Service Act and department of public service and ddministration guidelines governing special advisors.
According to the spokesperson, preliminary security vetting uncovered no negative findings against Matshekga, while the minister was unaware of any adverse findings by Unisa or previous employers that would render him unsuitable for the position.
The department said Matshekga brings more than 20 years of professional experience, including over a decade in senior management roles.
His experience includes nearly eight years at the Gauteng Partnership Fund as treasury manager and four years at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, with expertise in infrastructure financing and housing-related sectors.
Governance experience
The department also highlighted his governance experience, including serving as chair or member of audit and risk committees at several public entities, including the Social Housing Regulatory Authority, the Council for Medical Schemes and the Johannesburg Social Housing Company.
Matshekga holds a master of business administration from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, a BCom honours degree in financial analysis and portfolio management from the University of Cape Town, and a BCom and BCom honours degrees in economics from the University of Limpopo.
Despite these credentials, questions remain over the state of Unisa Enterprise during his tenure.
The entity, established to commercialise Unisa’s intellectual property and provide training, consulting and research services, has faced significant operational challenges in recent years.
Employees and interns went for months without receiving salaries, while disputes involving former employees were referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
The Citizen has revealed Unisa has since apparently resolved to cut its losses and shut the entity after an internal risk report pointed to a deepening financial crisis.
