‘Vulgar’ Baart accused of demoralising staff
Morale at the social development department is said to be at an all-time low as the executive management team live in fear of their newly appointed head, Ntombi Baart.
They accuse her of being rude and vulgar.
However, Baart has denied this, saying those leading the charge against her wanted her job.
The unpleasant state of affairs at the department’s head office is described in a letter from senior managers and meant for the Bhisho legislature but has also been given to unions.
Public Servants Association of South Africa Eastern Cape manager Madoda Maxakana confirmed receiving the letter.
Bhisho legislature social development portfolio head Christian Martins said all implicated parties would be given a chance to express their side once the committee was made aware of it.
“These things go to the speaker’s office and the speaker will divert them in the correct direction. I will wait for anything to come to my desk and look at it,” Martins said, adding there was nearly always more than one side to a story.
In the letter, the senior managers complain that Baart does not meet the high standards
needed to steer the ship.
“She uses vulgar language when communicating in meetings as against the accepted form of communication in the workplace. The chief directors seem to be paralysed with fear,” the letter reads.
They refer to an instance in a meeting where she allegedly had an outburst and said: “I can be bitchy and use my feminine skills to deal with issues. Ndiyakwazi uyifrustayitha indoda ingavukelwa iveki yonke [I can frustrate a man and not be aroused for a week].”
Senior managers accuse Baart of abusing her power, adding she “always threatens staff with consequence management”.
“She has no solution to service delivery matters affecting the department, especially social workers.”
The letter further alleges that the department is continuously recruiting and employing nonsocial work supervisors, which could cripple service delivery. The letter made reference to several district and area managers across the province.
“They do not qualify to supervise social workers and as a result service delivery is compromised in programmes and services that are highly legislated in terms of the Children’s Act No 38 of 2005,” the letter reads.
Asked to comment, Baart said the allegations were a way of tarnishing her name and reputation.
“As my style of leadership and part of administrative mandate, I will not shy away from being frank and robust in dealing with the incompetency that constrains service delivery.
“I have learned to accept that there are disgruntled officials who feel they should be occupying the post of HOD, hence they would not accept a woman of my calibre in the top echelon of the department and instead resort to a smear campaign like this and will do everything to distract me in turning around the department,” she said.
Social development MEC Pumza Dyantyi regretted that the workers had resorted to external means before trying internal remedies.
“Without trivialising this matter, the manner in which it has been advanced has all the hallmarks of being pernicious. I have always had an open-door policy for listening to and attending to staff concerns without prejudice,” Dyantyi said.
She has no solutions to service delivery matters