Competition and Consumer Authority (CCA) has defended a P1 million grey water bill for their Chief Executive Officer’s garden in the leafy suburb of Phakalane.
The exorbitant bill, which accumulated to a whopping P1 million over the past five years, was brought to the attention of this publication by concerned whistleblowers who felt the cash-strapped parastatal was mismanaging resources and being wasteful.
While the CEO, Tebelelo Pule, who has been working from the comfort of her home draws P19 060.80 for 11 deliveries (a month) of water for garden use, The Voice has been reliably informed that the CCA has been struggling to recruit staff for their branches in Maun and Francistown, citing financial difficulties.
The CCA started footing the CEO’s garden water bill in 2017 after Pule’s appointment to the top post.
In 2018, the wheelchair-bound Pule, who is also the wife of the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mabuse Pule, started working from home because of a broken elevator, which made it impossible for her to access her office on the first floor.
However, even after an office was availed for the CEO on the ground floor, Pule decided to continue working from home.
“Because she is using a wheelchair, an office was prepared for her on the ground floor but she refused to use it and has been working from home, probably to enjoy her lush garden,” added the concerned whistleblower.
Responding to a questionnaire sent to them, the CCA said, “The elevator has been on and off since 2018 and experienced severe downtime since 2020 where it proved to be unserviceable and the landlord resolved to replace it. The landlord advised that the supplier encountered delivery delays due to Covid-19 shutdowns, the elevator is expected to be replaced in November 2022.”
CCA further noted that they have approved the working from home policy.
Concerning the water expenditure, CCA noted that “the Authority treats employee related matters with confidentiality”.
A request to be allowed to speak directly to the CEO was denied by the CCA management.
Pule took over from Thula Kaira, who was the Authority’s founding CEO.