Fresh bid to fire Zaly

Keiso Mohloboli

Communications Principal Secretary (PS) Nonkululeko Zaly was the subject of a “kangaroo court” on Thursday during which a decision was allegedly reached to fire her.

According to sources privy to the case, the “secret meeting” was allegedly chaired by newly appointed Communications Minister, Khotso Letsatsi and also attended by two journalists, whose names the Sunday Express has withheld, for now.

Although Mr Letsatsi last night denied holding such a meeting at his office, the Sunday Express has it on good authority that indeed, such a gathering took place and a decision was reached that Ms Zaly should be fired for being “politically incorrect”.

“Mr Letsatsi chaired that kangaroo court, which was also attended by two journalists who were also active participants in the discussions. A decision was reached in that secret meeting to dismiss Ms Zaly. The conclusion was that she must go because she was not one of their own and might disobey the minister’s directives if she continues in her position,” one of the sources said yesterday.

“A draft of her dismissal letter was even compiled that day, but the sticking point was that you don’t fire somebody just like that. But still the conclusion reached was that she must go, so it’s a matter of time before she is fired.”

Ms was fired as the ministry’s PS early last year after she had constantly clashed with then communications minister, Tšeliso Mokhosi, but appealed her dismissal and won the case in the Constitutional Court. However, the  ministry had employed Tšeliso Khomari as PS when Ms Zaly was fired. And upon her return to work in August last year, Mr Khomari was redeployed to the Ministry of Public Service—a move he challenged in the courts of law but lost.

Meanwhile, while insisting he knew nothing about Thursday’s meeting, Mr Letsatsi spoke about the issue of the ministry having “two principal secretaries”.

Mr Letsatsi said: “I don’t know anything about the meeting you are talking about or any plot to fire Ms Zaly as Communications PS.

“The issue of having two principal secretaries in the ministry is still under discussion by the relevant authorities and it will soon be resolved. The public will soon be told who the PS to that ministry is.”

Repeated efforts to contact Ms Zaly were fruitless yesterday as her two mobile phones were on voicemail.