V&A Waterfront CIO hid ties to R1.87m IT consultants

A former V&A Waterfront chief information officer (CIO) concealed her business ties to IT consultants who cost the company R1.87 million, a Labour Court ruling revealed. Sibongiseni Thotsejane, then CIO of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, failed to disclose her relationships with two consultants when arranging their appointments through EOH MC Solutions, the Waterfront’s outsourced IT provider.

The consultants were subsequently employed by EOH at inflated rates, even though they failed to deliver the services they were contracted to perform. Thotsejane's conduct breached the Waterfront's procurement policies, which require employees to maintain arm's-length relationships and avoid conflicts of interest. The court found that Thotsejane actively promoted the appointments of the consultants, despite her prior business relationships with them.

She also misrepresented her employment history, concealing previous dismissals and continued employment at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The Waterfront had previously dismissed Thotsejane for misconduct in 2016, and she subsequently negotiated her initial R700,000 annual salary with the Waterfront while continuing to draw a salary from the university.