On 20 June, the High Court reserved judgment on Centlec spokesperson, Lele Mamatu’s application, in which he stated Centlec CEO Malefane Sekoboto forcibly removed him through a fabricated resignation letter. Mamatu maintains that he never resigned and described the letter as fake.

On Tuesday (1/7), the court ruled in Mamatu’s favour, granting him an interim order to be reinstated and to be allowed access to Centlec’s premises. The court also ordered Mamatu to prosecute his review application within 14 days, warning the interim order would lapse if he failed to do so. Costs are to be determined in the main review application.

“We are dealing with two applications, the one was immediate reinstatement, which the court has ruled in my favour, and the second one is to make the order permanent, which we are expected to file for in the next 14 days. The issue has to do with the fake resignation letter, which I still maintain is not my letter.

“I’m confident that justice will prevail and the court will rule positively in my favour because, in all fairness, I did not and I’ve never resigned at Centlec. I have no intentions of resigning anytime soon because I feel that I’m still fit enough to do my work,” Mamatu said.

He also expressed disappointment at Sekoboto for disclosing his health issues without permission, stating that he had taken him into confidence about his health issues as his line manager.

Despite the court ruling, Centlec announced on Wednesday (2/7) that Tseliso Leba had been appointed as the organisation’s official spokesperson, effective immediately until further notice. The statement emphasised that all enquiries and requests for information should be directed to Leba, and that his appointment was made in terms of Centlec’s delegation of authority.

Mamatu, who returned to work on Thursday (4/7), said he was surprised by the announcement.

“Last time I checked, there has not been any communication that came to me or my attention that there is another Centlec communication manager, so it’s something that I just also saw in the media and the statement that I know nothing about. I am back on duty and in my position that I have been holding there at Centlec. I am continuing with my work.

“For me, I’m just not going to allow it to be personal, I’m going to be professional. I will still relate to him as my line manager, but make sure there is fairness in the whole process.”

In a statement, Leba said Centlec has taken note and welcomes the interim court order granted by the Free State High Court. “We, in collaboration with the entity’s attorneys of record, are studying the judgment and shall provide further information, if any, soon after we have consulted with our legal team.”

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cg