Behaviour threatens to derail Home of Legends campaign

AFALLOUT between the Eastern Cape’s director-general Marion Mbina-Mthembu and the National Heritage Council (NHC) has led to the council calling on premier Phumulo Masualle to take action against his accounting officer.

In a damning letter to Masualle, dated June 19, the NHC’s chief executive Sonwabile Mancotywa accused Mbina-Mthembu of having shown “unprofessional” conduct and a “body language which depicts anger and aggression” towards his delegation at a meeting between the two offices.

Mangcotywa said MbinaMthembu had accused the NHC of being part of “factions” without specifying what these factions were or what they were about.

“As a qualified lawyer, I was alarmed by her body language which depicted anger and aggression for which there was no need.

“We believe that the actions of the director-general are a bad advert for the province and should not be left unchallenged.

“It would be unfortunate that a province of such heritage significance can be compromised by unprofessional conduct of an individual.

“We therefore allure the honourable premier to take appropriate actions that will ensure that a situation of this nature shall never occur again.”

Mbina-Mthembu said yesterday she was not aware of any letter written by Mancotywa, except about Dispatch reports on the June 12 meeting between OTP and NHC published last week.

“I do not know about any letter or e-mail,” said Mthembu.

The Dispatch reported details of the meeting between OTP senior officials, headed by Mbina-Mthembu, and NHC, led by Mangcotywa, where MbinaMthembu allegedly walked out. The meeting was meant to give an update on progress of the multimillion-rands Home of the Legends campaign launched in 2012.

Details of the fallout have now emerged.

Mancotywa said during her “ranting” at the meeting, Mbina-Mthembu also made “unfounded and unsubstantiated statements”, claiming that progress reports on the Home of the Legends campaign had been given to a “faction”.

Also at the meeting was the deputy director-general in the OTP, Mahlubandile Qwase, and Professor Mcebisi Ndletyana, the research team leader for the project.

“To crown the entire behaviour, Prof Ndletyana was just about to respond to some of the issues that she or other members of the team had raised and were contentbased, she then declared that she was not to be part of the meeting going forward, thus staging a walkout.” Mangcotywa said.

Asked what the premier would do about NHC’s letter, Masualle’s spokesman Sonwabo Mbananga said they had not yet received the letter.

Masualle’s chief of staff Nandi Sikutshwa confirmed receiving the letter from Mancotywa but said the premier had yet to lay his hands on it. “It’s just that he has been away due to his very busy schedule. Otherwise it will be handed over to him,’ said Sikutshwa yesterday.

The progress report for the Home of the Legends campaign – launched amid much fanfare – showed it was on the brink of collapse, although 80% of the work had been covered, as a result of bad blood between the OTP and the NHC – who became involved in the project a year after the launch as implementing agents.

Still outstanding is funding of a chapter on paleontology and archaeology which depicts the uniqueness of the province, as part of the project.

The last leg is meant to include roadshows to all districts, and to align the branding and marketing of the province with the Home of Legends concept.