Parliament faces CCMA probe after Dumisani Jantjies’ contract not renewed

Parliament hauled before CCMA after director’s contract lapses

The offices of Parliament have been brought before the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over the non-renewal of the director of the Parliamentary Budget Office, Dumisani Jantjies, after his five-year contract lapsed.

What officials told MPs

Acting chief parliamentary legal advisor Frank Jenkins told the Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament that Jantjies’s five-year contract, appointed in December 2020, had not been renewed and that Jantjies was challenging the non-renewal at the CCMA.

Jenkins said that papers have been changed between the parties and that the CCMA was considering whether to condone the late filing of the application. He told the committee:

“That is where we are. We will report as soon as the matter is finalised or when there is another development on the matter.”

Secretary to Parliament Xolile George confirmed that Jantjies’ contract ended and said the issue was a labour dispute to be handled through the relevant platforms. He also said Jantjies had not been removed from his position; it was the expiry of the contract.

MPs demand answers

ANC MP Bheki Radebe criticised how the matter was handled, saying the institution had not managed the end of the director’s term properly and demanding an explanation so similar incidents would not recur. He said:

“You must be upfront that it was not handled properly.”

Radebe raised concerns about timing and internal procedures, noting that Parliament only started receiving information the day before Jantjies’ contract expired. He also referenced a past case inside Parliament, saying:

“I think that it is bad. The manner in which these matters are handled is unacceptable.”

Context: past workplace tragedy and court findings

Radebe referred to the 2018 death of Lennox Garane, described in reports as a “protest suicide”, in which Garane left a document listing workplace grievances that included allegations against supervisor Dumisani Job Sithole.

The matter has links to a Western Cape High Court ruling tied to Garane’s suicide, in which the court considered an investigative report by the Public Service Commission. Judge Melanie Holderness commented in her judgment that the report highlighted a conflict in the handling of Garane’s contract renewal and noted concerns about impartiality in the process.

“The fact that the report has damning consequences does not assist the applicant. Even if the review were to be successful, it will not reverse the findings or reputational consequence for the applicant,”

Judge Holderness said the challenge to the report was a legal issue and that a court decision would have no effect on the applicant in that respect.

Next steps

Parliament said further advice will be guided by human resources and legal teams and that the committee would be updated as the labour dispute unfolds, with support from the advisory board of the Parliamentary Budget Office.

For now, officials say they will report back when the CCMA matter is finalised or when there are further developments.