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appointmentunknownE000288

Irregular appointment of Brigadier Mokwele linked to vetting violations

The appointment of Brigadier Mokwele is alleged to have involved non-compliance with security vetting requirements. Mrs. Mokwele could not use the e-Vetting system, yet her vetting was captured on the system, and the selection panel instructed her to submit a vetting application before receiving a conditional appointment letter, contrary to prescribed procedure.

Described by 2 witnesses
Brian Padayachee (Senior Investigator, IDAC;day 141, day 150Advocate Johnsonday 144, day 146
Each of these people gave first-hand evidence about this event. Several accounts of the same event is a property of the record — it is not verification, and witnesses can be mistaken together.
40 claims from testimony
"I do not see what is similar between that and investigating issues around vetting. I do not see the similarity."
relationshipChairpersonCL0151517
"Just show me, just show me the similarity between issues of vetting and the allegedly improper appointment of Mrs Mokwele. Where is the similarity?"
relationshipChairpersonCL0151519
"show me how the issue of the allegedly improper appointment of Ms Mokwele is similar to the vetting issues that you then proceeded to investigate"
"it is stated there that her vetting was captured on the system"
"And does all of that then take you to vetting"
"Yes, the vetting part"
associated withColonel Brian PadayacheeCL0151532
"it is coupled together because your appointment goes to the vetting"
associated withColonel Brian PadayacheeCL0151534
"She is a civilian. She cannot apply via the e-Vetting system"
"the process requires that by the time they present themselves for an interview, they must at least show that they have applied for vetting"
requirementAdvocate Sello SCCL0151861
"Brigadier Mokwele, who is the head of the vetting system, should know better"
"at paragraph 1 it says: 'This confirmation letter is to officially state that on 25 July 2024, the applicant, Ms Mokwele… submitted an online application on the South African Police Services, SAPS, e-Vetting system for top clearance security'"
textAdvocate Sello SCCL0151900
"The top secret security clearance application of Ms Mokwele was received by the vetting authority for review and approval in potentially granting the required security clearance for his specific position in SAPS."
textAdvocate Sello SCCL0151901
"we had those invitation letters that say go via the vetting department there and submit your details"
instructionAdvocate Sello SCCL0151906
"TO give a clearance would be impossible to give it almost immediately."
time neededColonel Brian PadayacheeCL0151919
"the panel referring, amongst others, Ms Mokwele to go to the e-Vetting system and be registered there before she comes for the interview"
instruction to mokweleAdvocate Sello SCCL0151920
"are you suggesting that she ought not to have been subjected to any vetting process until she was awarded a letter of conditional appointment?"
questionAdvocate Sello SCCL0151923
"Your whole vetting process will kick off once you receive a conditional letter of appointment."
start conditionColonel Brian PadayacheeCL0151924
"according to the advert, according to the application, it is all there."
containsColonel Brian PadayacheeCL0151925
"your problem is that she was subjected to a vetting process, some form of vetting process or an attempt to do so prior to her receiving a letter of conditional appointment."
questionAdvocate Sello SCCL0151927
"The vetting process had not started."
statusColonel Brian PadayacheeCL0151928
"she could not register on the e-Vetting system because she has no force number and no Commander."
"the letter of 24 July was disadvantaging her or the letter before this one because that letter said, before you come to the interviews, bring your IDs and other things and then submit your vetting application through the e-Vetting system"
requirementAdvocate Khumalo SCCL0151933
"It could have been done within six months after her appointment"
timing requirementAdvocate Khumalo SCCL0151934
"Civilian vetting where required must be done through the State Security Agency"
"Civilian vetting required must be done through State Security Agencies"
"civilian vetting are normally done through State Security Agents"
"Remember we are talking about the recruitment process, a panel, vetting, scoring"
compositionAdvocate Baloyi SCCL0152003
"they were able to identify that there are issues relating to vetting and appointments."
scopeAdvocate Andrea JohnsonCL0153424
"it is not a complaint about an appointment, as in a new appointment. Perhaps it is a complaint about the placement of a person in a position that arose out of the non - compliance with the vetting positions ."
natureAdvocate Andrea JohnsonCL0153431
"the vetting issue in respect of Ms Mokwele, we can put that to bed"
"the fact that they were doing it before the interview was in fact disadvantaging her, not benefiting her"
"I think with Colonel Padayachee we settled on that and he accepted"
"the process of their vetting was different"
acknowledgedAdv Khumalo SCCL0156296
"The answer talks to the suitability in terms of the appointments and whether or not the vetting processes were met"
acknowledgedAdvocate JohnsonCL0156314
"The concession I make is that with regards to suitability, the standing instructions, and the vetting process, those are the matters that I would look at"
acknowledgedAdvocate JohnsonCL0156318
"So it is the Mokwele issue where the vetting is a problem"
natureAdv Khumalo SCCL0158327
"accuses Brigadier Mokwele in relation to her vetting position"
"I am convinced that any other tangible vetting, investigation, and processes will not change the prevailing findings that she is dishonest and has the propensity to commit criminal offences"
"Okay, so one of the vetting matters."
typeAdvocate Segeels-NcubeCL0174972