Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has ordered President Cyril Ramaphosa to take disciplinary action against Treasury director-general Dondo Mogajane for failing to disclose that he had been convicted of a traffic offence when he applied for his post.
She insists that although Mogajane’s Road Traffic Act violation may be described as a “trivial” charge, his failure to disclose it during his job interview spoke to his honesty as a state official.
Mkhwebane has also found that former finance minister Malusi Gigaba’s conduct in appointing Mogajane was “improper”.
“Evidence before me confirms that former minister Gigaba knew or ought to have reasonably known about Mr Mogajane’s failure to disclose the criminal record in his Z83 application form.”
She said Gigaba “failed to ensure that the director-general acts in compliance with the values of the constitution of always acting in good faith, upholding high standards of professional ethics and accountability”.
Despite finding that Gigaba acted unreasonably and improperly by appointing Mogajane, Mkhwebane declined to comment on whether she believed Ramaphosa should fire Mogajane.
“That is not for me to decide,” she said.