Ex-worker’s double job ends in R2.9m court bill

For almost two years a former university employee drew two salaries while moonlighting as chief information officer at the V&A Waterfront, raking in more than R1m.

The V&A Waterfront and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) did not know that Sibongiseni Thotsejane was employed by the other as she secretly juggled the two jobs.

However, Thotsejane’s luck eventually ran out, and on Friday the labour court in Cape Town ordered her to pay nearly R2.9m to the V&A after finding that she had failed to provide a truthful account of her previous employment.

In October 2015 Thotsejane was appointed as the V&A’s chief information officer while she was still employed by the CPUT, where she had been a co-ordinator since August 2014 and earned an annual remuneration package of R606,374.96.

During the court proceedings, former acting dean of the CPUT’s business and management faculty, W Lotter, testified that Thotsejane’s absenteeism had become so severe that he instructed her to report to him daily in the dean’s office so her attendance could be monitored.

According to Lotter, Thotsejane failed to comply with the instruction.

Her employment at the V&A was also characterised by late arrivals, missed meetings, high absenteeism and the submission of numerous medical certificates.

Judge Robert Gerald found that Thotsejane had also misrepresented her departure from Engen, claiming that she had left because of “political challenges” and an ongoing merger.

“When she had actually been dismissed for gross misconduct, as confirmed in an arbitration award,” Gerald said.

Before joining the V&A, Thotsejane also had a high court judgment against her in favour of Engen. The judgment, dated July 29 2014, related to vehicle finance amounting to R503,786.

When the V&A’s ITC checks uncovered the judgment, Thotsejane told the company that the debt had been incurred in her name by her former husband and that she was working with her attorney to resolve the matter.

Her employment history also came under scrutiny when she claimed in her application that she had left Old Mutual after being headhunted.

An investigation instead found that she had been dismissed after a disciplinary inquiry into multiple misconduct allegations, including insubordination, unlawful possession of property, unauthorised absence from work and breaches of company policies and procedures.

Old Mutual provided the V&A with documentation supporting the findings, including the disciplinary proceedings and their outcome. Thotsejane subsequently referred an unfair dismissal dispute to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, which was later settled. The documents also recorded her surname at the time as “Dakela”.