Mpumalanga ANC heavyweight Peter Nyoni claims his dismissal as deputy director-general for institutional development in the office of the premier was politically motivated.
Nyoni has approached the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela to declare his dismissal unlawful and the employment contract binding.
Court dismisses urgent application
But the court struck off the urgent application he brought against the director-general and the premier of Mpumalanga, Mandla Ndlovu.
According to court papers, Nyoni’s contract, signed on 14 November 2023 under former premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, included a clause providing he would become a permanent employee in the office of the premier as deputy director-general once his fixed-term contract expired at the end of February.
Nyoni claimed a provision in his contract meant he would automatically have a permanent position from 1 March.
‘Politically motivated’
In an interview with The Citizen, he said his contract stipulated that Ndlovu should have notified him about his intention not to renew his contract.
“The way the matter has been handled shows it was politically motivated. I was not formally informed that my contract would not be renewed. I was only informed that the premier was reviewing my contract.
“On 2 March, JP Dlamini, the acting chief director of the corporate management unit in the office of the premier, informed me verbally that my employment contract ended on 28 February. I only received a letter informing me that my contract will not be renewed on 4 March.”
Nyoni joined the office of the premier after he was transferred from being head of the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, where he received three clean audits.
Mpumalanga government spokesperson George Mthethwa said: “The letter issued on 4 March did not terminate the contract but merely confirmed its expiry. There was no automatic right to permanent employment arising from the contract, as key conditions for such an outcome were not met.”
