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Polycarp faces twelve charges

15/03/2010 00:00:00 MUSA NHLEKO

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MBABANE – Weeks after his suspension was lifted, Polycarp Dlamini, the Central Transport Administration General Transport Manager has been charged with 12 counts of alleged gross misconduct.

The charges are based on alleged misconduct that allegedly cost CTA over E40 million.
Dlamini’s formal charges dated February 4, 2010 were served to him by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Paul Nkambule.

In the letter written by Nkambule to Dlamini, he says the charges are in respect of alleged misconduct in the operations of the Central Transport Administration (CTA).
“In terms of the Civil Service Order 1973 section 42, you are required to respond in writing within seven days stating grounds on which you wish to rely to exculpate yourself,” reads part of the letter attached to the 12 charges.
The letter states that in so doing Dlamini should take note that anything he will state in writing may be used as evidence in subsequent disciplinary proceedings.

The letter was copied to the Executive Secretary of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Allen McFadden, Secretary to Cabinet Sandile Ceko and the Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini.
When Dlamini was called on the matter, he confirmed receiving the letter with the 12 charges.
“I got the letter you are talking about and I have responded,” he said.
Dlamini said he has asked for certain information from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport on the majority of the charges.

He said out of all the 12 charges he was able to answer four of them and he was still expecting information from his ministry to be able to answer everything truthfully and correctly.
The charge sheet alleges that Dlamini during his tenure as GTM allegedly wrongfully authorised the purchase of a fuel management system from Liquid Automation Systems (PTY) Ltd (LAS) in the amount of E17 382 146.
He allegedly did this without following the prescribed tender procedures as required by the Regulations of the Finance and Audit Act of 1967, Stores Regulations of 1975 (Part I).

It is alleged that no tenders were called for purchase and he allegedly did not obtain the permission from the responsible minister as required by the Public Enterprise Unit (PEU) Act.
He is also alleged to have failed to ensure the proper installation and implementation of the LAS fuel management system as required by the Regulations of the Finance and Audit Act of 1967, Stores Regulations of 1975 (Part II).

This according to the charge sheet resulted in major financial losses to government in relation to the theft of fuel by employees and third parties.
The LAS fuel management system is said to be dysfunctional and not in operation as a result of Dlamini’s alleged conduct which also resulted in fruitless and wasteful expenditure to the said amount.

THE CHARGES

Charge one
* He allegedly wrongfully and intentionally authorised the purchase of a fuel management system from the Liquid Automation Systems (PTY) ltd (LAS) in the amount of E17 382 146.00 without following the prescribed tender procedures.

Charge two
* He allegedly wrongfully and intentionally failed to ensure the proper installation and implementation of the LAS fuel management system that had been purchased at a cost of E17 382 146 as required by the Regulations of the Finance and Audit Act of 1967, Stores Regulations 1975 (Part II).

Charge three
* The employee is allegedly guilty of gross misconduct in that on about April 2004 he wrongfully and intentionally authorised the purchase of a spray booth from National Motor Spares in the amount of E297 312 without following the prescribed tender procedures as required by the Regulations of the Finance and Audit Act of 1967, Stores Regulations 1975 (Part I).

Charge four
* He allegedly wrongfully and negligently failed to ensure that CTA reconciled the fuel levy charged by the petroleum companies for the funding of the fuel management system. His said failure resulted in the following:-

Charge five
* He allegedly wrongfully and negligently failed to ensure that CTA implemented reasonable measures to prevent possible wrongdoing and abuse by employees of CTA and his neglect allowed employees of CTA to approve services on vehicles by external parties despite the fact that the vehicles were not Government vehicles as they had been recorded as stolen in the CTA records this resulted in a loss and prejudice amounting to E68 289.51.
Charge six
* He allegedly wrongfully and negligently omitted to ensure that CTA implemented reasonable measures to prevent possible wrongdoing and abuse by employees of CTA and his neglect allowed employees of CTA to approve services on vehicles by external parties despite the fact that the vehicles were not Government vehicles as they had been recorded as boarded or sold in the CTA records.

Charge seven
* He allegedly omitted to ensure that CTA implemented reasonable measures to prevent possible wrongdoing and abuse by employees of CTA and his neglect allowed employees of CTA to misuse the fuel reserves of the employer in that he allowed 4 047 500 litres of fuel to be filled into vehicles in excess of their tank capacities with approximate monetary value of E20 237 500.

Charge eight
* He allegedly omitted to ensure that CTA implemented reasonable measures to prevent possible wrongdoing and abuse by employees of CTA and his neglect allowed employees of CTA to utilise an override code ‘99999’ as a vehicle registration number to enable fuel to be taken from CTA fuel depots.

Charge nine
* He allegedly omitted to ensure that CTA implemented reasonable measures to prevent possible wrongdoing and abuse by employees of CTA and his neglect allowed employees of CTA to approve internal vehicle services on vehicles that had been recorded as stolen in the CTA records.

Charge 10
* He allegedly failed to ensure that CTA implemented reasonable measures to prevent possible wrongdoing and abuse by employees of CTA and his neglect allowed employees of CTA to approve internal vehicle services on vehicles that had been recorded as boarded in the CTA records.
Charge 11
* He allegedly failed to ensure that CTA implemented reasonable measures to prevent possible wrongdoing and abuse by employees of CTA and his neglect allowed employees of CTA to approve issue of fuel to vehicles that had been recorded as stolen in the CTA records .

Charge 12
* His neglect allegedlly allowed employees of CTA to approve issue of fuel to vehicles that had been recorded as boarded in the CTA records resulting in unnecessary and wasteful expenditure of approximately E824 163.00.