Zwane faces rebellion from within his department

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Zwane, who was appointed to the post in 2015 and has been implicated in allegations of state capture, has yet to answer to claims that he gave the controversial Gupta family preferential treatment on mining licences.

He appears to be under fire internally and externally, with players in the sector boycotting his address at the Mining Indaba earlier this year and calling for him to be replaced.

He is now in the middle of a legal battle with the mining sector over his new Mining Charter that was promulgated, say industry players, in the absence of adequate consultation.

The same allegations have been levelled against him by his own regional managers in the department, who have approached the Labour Court to set aside a decision by the minister and his director-general, Thabo Mokoena, to shift them to other posts in the country, allegedly to ensure that mining rights were dispersed to politically connected individuals.

The regional managers - whose responsibilities include considering applications for prospecting and mining rights in the provinces - allege that the reshuffle was done without consultation or a clear public interest justification, as is required by law.

An interim interdict granted to the regional managers by the Labour Court in April, blocking the far-reaching reshuffle meant to take effect in April - which shifts six of the eight regional managers to different posts around the country - is still pending because one of the applicants, Limpopo regional manager Aaron Kharivhe, was attacked and severely injured.

The attack, insiders allege, was motivated by his resistance to the reshuffle.

Sources in various unions and in the department allege that there is an "atmosphere of fear and intimidation" in the Department of Mineral Resources.

An insider with intimate knowledge of the case has alleged that another regional manager, Aubrey Tshivhandekano, who was also an applicant in the matter, was placed on precautionary suspension over allegations of "frequent absenteeism". The suspension was lifted three days later after he provided details of his whereabouts on dates - including weekends - highlighted as periods when he was allegedly "absent from work".

There are further claims that Tshivhandekano was then again suspended for accessing the department's operating system, Samrad - another allegation described as spurious.

The Department of Mineral Resources has not responded to questions submitted by Business Day last Wednesday.

In an affidavit submitted to the Labour Court on the broader review of the decision to reassign the regional managers, Tshivhandekano alleges: "We were in no uncertain terms informed that in the event we are not in agreement with the decision, we either have to brace ourselves for a possible dismissal [or] alternatively find ourselves alternative employment."

The officials argue that the move, made unilaterally without consultation and without good reason, would affect their families and would have negative financial implications for the department.

According to insiders, the move is intended to ensure that people - who would toe the line in terms of assigning mining licences in accordance with political connections - are put in place.

Source: Business Day