Johannesburg - The drive for clean financial administration within the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) has gained momentum with the union saying yesterday it had given the administrator of their controversial funeral scheme notice to terminate their contract.
The union said the scheme, which has been managed by Medical Health Administrators (MHA), failed to give members the full benefits of the claims.
Khumbu Magudulela, the union's acting deputy general secretary, said: "We have informed MHA of our intention to cancel the contract we had with them.''
The scheme was established in May this year and required the 185 000 Nehawu members to each pay R11 a month.
Magudulela said the union had been mandated by the central executive committee to terminate the contract with MHA.
In the middle of these allegations, Nehawu has suspended Tebello Mokoena, who acted as an intermediary between the union and MHA, on charges of corruption. Mokoena is alleged to have received a car as a bribe from MHA for securing the funeral scheme contract.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Harold Pesskin, the MHA chief executive, said he was seeking legal opinion on "this and other matters''.
However, a copy of a letter sent to Nehawu in which MHA denies that it bribed Mokoena makes it clear that the union official was offered the use of a Toyota Corolla.
MHA claimed Mokoena "approached the company to borrow a vehicle as he had an emergency transport problem.
"We have requested him to return the vehicle, which he has not done. We are constantly attempting to communicate with Mokoena to return the car as it is needed urgently by ourselves."
Mokoena has not been available for comment since his suspension.
Two senior officials of Nehawu are to appear before a disciplinary hearing today and tomorrow on charges of financial mismanagement. They are Fikile Majola, the general secretary, and Lindelwa Dunjwa, the treasurer.