Pretoria - The Department of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries has refuted the nepotism claims made by the Democratic Alliance (DA) as baseless allegations.
This comes after DA shadow minister of Agriculture, Annette Steyn, claimed that the Department's Director-General Langa Zita admitted to the portfolio committee on Tuesday that Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson's sister was employed as acting director by the department.
Zita, who led the department's delegation to the portfolio committee, responded to a question about the relationship between the minister and Rowena Joemat, saying that he did not know if any relationship existed between the two.
"Even if people shared a name, it doesn't automatically mean that they are related. I do not know if Rowena Joemat and Minister Joemat-Pettersson are related," Zita told the committee.
Zita has since ascertained following the DA's statement that Rowena Joemat is in fact the daughter of the minister's cousin, and not her sister, as alleged by the DA.
The claims of the DA's statement are that there was nepotism in the appointment of Joemat in the capacity of acting director of Programme Development Support in the department.
"The minister has nothing to do with the appointment of directors in the department - that responsibility falls squarely within my domain. The process to appoint a permanent director is underway, and it will be an open, fair and a transparent one and the best candidate will be appointed.
"Relatives of public servants or politicians who meet the requirements of an advertised post should not be disqualified from applying for posts in the public service on the basis of their relationship with people who don't even participate in the adjudication process," Zita said.
Ministerial spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the DA fabricated and distorted Langa's remarks to the portfolio committee.
"It is incorrect and a blatant lie that Zita 'admitted' that the acting director of Programme Development Support, Rowena Joemat, was the sister of Joemat-Pettersson," he said.
Bokaba said Rowena Joemat was initially appointed to the department on a one-year contract on 25 March 2008, a little more than a year before Joemat-Pettersson was appointed minister. The minister was at the time the MEC in Northern Cape.
He said Joemat had been on a rolling short-term contract since then, and her recent three-month contract expires on April 12 this year.
"While politics can be dirty and robust sometimes, however, the rules of engagement have to be observed. It is unethical and downright mischievous to deliberately distort and fabricate the DG's statement when his actual remarks were recorded," he said.
According to Bokaba, the post of director of Programme Development Support was advertised and the candidates were shortlisted, but interviews haven't taken place yet, and thus no candidate has been appointed.
Bokaba said the fact that Joemat is related to the minister should not disqualify her from applying for any post, if she so wishes.
