From legal aide to Mchunu's PR — at triple the pay

Police minister Senzo Mchunu promoted his spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi to the post from a humble civil service job — tripling her salary in the process — apparently in defiance of advice from government HR and legal experts.

This is according to well-placed sources in the department of public service & administration (DPSA), who this week lifted the lid on the “special relationship” between the embattled minister and Mogotsi.

The issue took centre stage this week after Mogotsi was linked to controversial businessman and political figure Brown Mogotsi, who is alleged to have leveraged his relationship with Mchunu to interfere in police operations.

There have been suggestions that Brown Mogotsi and Kamogelo Mogotsi are related, but Kamogelo has denied this. “I do not know Mr Brown Mogotsi. I am not related to him, neither have I met him or interacted with him.”

Mchunu has declined to comment, citing a gag order from President Cyril Ramaphosa following damning allegations against him of allowing outside political interference in the operation of the South African Police Service.

Ramaphosa is due to make a televised speech today about the charges against Mchunu raised by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Until Mchunu’s arrival at the DPSA as minister in 2019, Mogotsi was a low-ranking legal administration officer in the department’s legal services division employed at salary level seven, about R400,000 a year.

Sources at the department said Mchunu acted against the advice of the department’s HR and legal services section to appoint her as his media liaison officer (MLO) — six salary levels higher with a remuneration package of at least R1.3m. This would represent an instant increase of at least R900,000.

The sources told the Sunday Times Mchunu was “charmed” by Mogotsi’s eloquence and command of English when she served as programme director for internal functions.

“She used to be a programme director in the functions of the department and that’s where she was noticed by Mchunu. She was in the department working as a legal officer,” said one official with knowledge of the matter.

When the department’s HR and legal managers told the minister Mogotsi was not qualified to serve at director level as an MLO because of her lack of experience and qualifications in media, Mchunu rejected the warning.

Officials pointed out to Mchunu that the issue was further complicated by the fact that the department, which is the custodian of ethical and professional civil service conduct, was in the process of implementing rules to compel ministers to appoint qualified and experienced people in their private offices.

My appointments have been based solely on merit, competence and performance

—  Kamogelo Mogotsi

As the toing-and-froing continued between Mchunu and DPSA officials, Mogotsi quit her legal assistant job to take the role of media director in Mchunu’s office, where her tenure is linked to his term in government.

Since then, she has moved with Mchunu as he has changed portfolios, first to water & sanitation and then police.

Questions about an apparently “special relationship” have also been fuelled by the way Mogotsi sometimes travels with Mchunu in his ministerial car during work trips, which is not allowed in terms of government protocol.

Mogotsi on Friday insisted she was not receiving any “special treatment or favours from the minister”.

“As a spokesperson responsible for drafting speeches and briefings to the minister, there are certain specific instances where a speech is finalised just as the minister is about to speak and would require that I drive with him or brief him on certain issues before arrival.

“This also happens with other officials in our office, such as the PA, not just the spokesperson,” she said.

As for concerns about her lack of media qualifications and experience, Mogotsi said her LLB degree and legal experience had helped hone her writing skills, hence she felt qualified from the job.

“I joined DPSA in 2018 in the legal services unit, minister Mchunu was appointed 2019. Following the resignation of the minister’s then-spokesperson, I was temporarily requested to assist in the role, given my writing abilities.

“I was then later formally requested by the minister to assume the role of spokesperson, resigning from my permanent post and assuming a position in a political office, which is contractual in nature as it is linked to the minister’s term of office,” Mogotsi said.

“There is no preferential treatment I received during the hiring process, and I was not privy to any information from meetings held regarding same.

“I have an LLB degree and am an admitted attorney, and while my degree is not in communications as would be expected for a spokesperson, it does involve drafting and requires communication skills, which I possess.

“I have been the spokesperson to minister Mchunu across all three departments he has led ... My appointments have been based solely on merit, competence and performance,” she said. 

Mogotsi added that she had served as a programme director on only one occasion, at the request of the department.