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- An unsigned letter accuses Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of illegally promoting a female worker from Level 7 to Level 13 spokesperson.
- Staff claim woman got special treatment, including rides in the minister’s car and personal birthday flowers from Mchunu.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is facing new claims that he abused his power to promote a junior female worker to a top government job.
An unsigned letter circulating on social media accuses Mchunu of fast-tracking Kamogelo Mogotsi from a lowly Level 7 administrative worker to a Level 13 department spokesperson when he was Minister of Public Service and Administration.
The promotion jumped Mogotsi six levels up the government ladder, despite her having no communication qualifications for the high-paying job.
The letter claims the promotion was not based on merit but on her special relationship with the minister.
Department of Public Service and Administration staff reportedly raised alarms at the time. Human Resources officials warned Mchunu that such a move would be illegal and dangerous for the department’s integrity.
But the minister pushed ahead. The letter says even his deputy minister, legal adviser and chief of staff were in the room when HR objected, and were ignored.
Mogotsi confirmed that since then, she has followed Mchunu between three departments.
What followed, staff say, was a shocking show of favouritism.
Mogotsi was allowed to ride in the minister’s official car, sometimes using blue lights usually meant for high-ranking officials. She was the first ministerial staffer in the department’s history to get that treatment.
Mchunu was also seen giving her birthday flowers and handing them over himself – something no other staff member ever got from him.
While he often ignored ordinary staff, witnesses said he warmly hugged Mogotsi in public, with the affection openly returned.
Staff say the situation destroyed morale and trust in the department. Some were so angry they vowed not to vote for the ANC in future elections.
The letter calls Mogotsi’s rise a “symbol of institutional breakdown” and a clear example of how political power can be abused.
Scrolla.Africa spoke to Kamogelo, who denied the allegations.
Kamogelo first denied knowing Brown Mokgosi, who was named as a businessman who wields a lot of power in the SAPS during a press briefing by KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on Sunday.
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“No, I do not know Mr Brown Mogotsi. I am not related to him, nor have I met him or interacted with him,” she said.
On the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) allegations, she said, “I joined the department in 2018 in the Legal Services Unit. Minister Mchunu was appointed the Minister for DPSA in 2019.
“Following the resignation of the Minister’s then-spokesperson, Mr Vukani Mbhele, 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.
“There was no preferential treatment I received during the hiring process,” she said.
On her qualifications, Kamogelo said: “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 – namely, the Department of Public Service and Administration, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and now the South African Police Service. My appointments have been based solely on merit, competence, and performance.”
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