ESTVA CEO recruitment could cost over E500k
Princess Sikhanyiso, the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, reportedly indicated probabilities of starting the process all over again. This, she said in Parliament this week.
MBABANE – If the recruitment of the chief executive officer (CEO) of ESTVA is conducted for the third time, it may cost in excess of E500 000.
Investigations have unearthed that it has so far cost the Eswatini Television Authority (ESTVA) a sum of E350 000 for the two recruitment exercises undertaken by respective consultancies.
On average, each of the consultants engaged to recruit the CEO was paid E175 000.
If the same amount of money is paid to a third consultant, the budget will increase to E525 000.
ESTVA is a government company. Princess Sikhanyiso, the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, reportedly indicated probabilities of starting the process all over again. This, she said in Parliament this week.
If the reports compiled by the two consultants are not implemented, that would be the third recruitment exercise to be approved by the Board. It must be said that the two reports from the consultants were not implemented by the minister.
It is understood that she felt the shortlisted candidates did not meet certain requirements for the job. One of which was that the candidate should be a holder of a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
According to the job advert, the position of CEO required the candidate to have a 10-year experience in the broadcasting industry.
It was stated in the advert that the suitable candidate should possess the following –
● The CEO should be a dynamic leader who will be responsible for the overall strategic direction and transformation of the organisation towards international standards.
● The suitable candidate will also be responsible for the development and implementation of the strategic plan in line with the industry best practices.
● The candidate should ensure policy development and decision-making support to the Board and provide secretariat and advisory service to the board;
● The suitable candidate should have a combination of qualifications, skills, and experience deemed to be essential for satisfactory performance in the position.
● The candidate should be a holder of a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) or Business Management or equivalent, with a minimum of 10 years experience working as a member of executive management.
● The candidate should have good knowledge of the film and television industry.
It was stated in the advert that the appointment of the CEO would be subject to verifications, psychometric assessments and reference checks.
It was also stated that correspondence would be limited to shortlisted candidates
FIRST RECRUITMENT BACKGROUND
The ESTVA Board recommended Mncedisi Mayisela, the current Corporate Affairs Manager, for the position of CEO.
It was reported that six candidates were shortlisted by KQ.
They included the following –
● Mncedisi Mayisela;
● Zachariah Mthethwa, the current Director of the Voice of the Church (VOC) Radio Station;
● Nozipho Mabuza, Information Manager at Eswatini Parliament;
● Mxolisi Mavimbela, the Head of Eswatini TV’s Outside Broadcast Unit;
● Andreas Dlamini, Director of Communications in the Ministry of ICT; and
● Titus Mavimbela, the Chief Engineer at Eswatini TV.
The top three candidates who were shortlisted by the consultants and approved by the Board for the minister’s consideration were Mayisela, Mthethwa and Mabuza.
The interviewees went through four stages of the recruitment process.
It must be said that KQ was impressed with Mayisela’s experience and qualifications, which included a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and that he was pursuing an MBA at Botho University in Botswana. He has certificates in managing public sector performance from the Civil Service College of Singapore and advanced human resources management and development at Eastern and Southern African Management Institute.
He is the current chairman of the SADC TV Implementation Committee and Southern Africa Broadcasters Association (SABA).
As a result, based on the KQ report, well-placed sources said Prince Sicunusa, the Chairman of the ESTVA Board, wrote a letter in July 2021 to Princess Sikhanyiso, informing her of the recruitment process.
He informed her of the top three candidates.
The minister is said to have declined the recommendation on the grounds that she could not consider internal candidates because of the outcome
of a parliamentary probe that was instituted by the House of Assembly. The probe report accused Mayisela and the late CEO of ESTVA, Bongani ‘Gcokosiyancinca’ Dlamini, of certain things which cannot be repeated now because the High Court declared the report null and void.
Impeccable sources confided in this publication that the team of ministers, who formed part of the Cabinet Standing Committee on Public Enterprise, is said to have referred Princess Sikhanyiso to the recent court judgment on the matter.
Judge John Magagula, sitting with Judge Cyril Maphanga and Judge Nkosinathi Maseko ruled that the decision and actions of the House of Assembly, in establishing ESTVA Probe Select Committee, were ultra vires (acting or done beyond one’s legal power or authority).
The High Court ruled that the report, findings and recommendations of the House of Assembly’s Eswatini Television Authority Parliament Probe Select Committee be hereby declared null and void.
Judge Magagula, with Judge Maphanga and Judge Maseko agreeing with him, made it an Order of the High Court that the Ministry of ICT should be interdicted and restrained from acting on the findings and recommendations of the ESTVA Parliament Probe Select Committee.
On the other hand, SAMKHO, the second consultants, felt that Kenneth Maziya should be considered for the job because he had acted as the CEO of ESTVA for a long time and has been part of EXCO (executive committee) since 2018.
It has been learnt that the consultants mentioned in their report that his responses during the interview and plans for leading the parastatal were plausible.
In its recommendation, SAMKHO, therefore, asked the Board to recommend Maziya for the position.
Maziya is currently pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration at UNESWA and is in possession of a Bachelor of Commerce Degree. He is the substantive chief finance officer for ESTVA.
SAMKHO stated that if Maziya was not appointed, the Board should consider Mayisela for the position or alternatively Phesheya Dube who has a Master’s Degree.
Dube, who has been appointed as the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, was reportedly pursuing a PhD in Media Studies at University of Wits.
Titus Mavimbela’s academic successes were thought to be favourite for the position, but his experiences were skewed. He has a Master’s of Commerce (Strategic Management) and Corporate Governance Degree from Midlands State University in Zimbabwe.
Now, it must be said that it has taken Princess Sikhanyiso a year to find the CEO of ESTVA.
COSTLY TO THE TAXPAYER
Her stance on starting the process afresh is understood to be costly to the taxpayer.
Contacted for comment, Phesheya Dube, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, said the issue was still being addressed internally, meaning it would be premature to give details on the matter.
Mduduzi Gina, the Secretary General (SG) of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), said embarking on a third recruitment exercise would be a complete waste of public funds.
He urged emaSwati to discourage and condemn any plan to start the process afresh.
Gina said they needed every cent of the public funds to be channelled towards the provision of basic needs.
The SG said it was a pity that the public health system had literally collapsed. He said a sum of E500 000 or E700 000 could go a very long way in purchasing medical drugs to help the sickly and needy members of society.
APPEAL TO PM
Gina requested the Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini, as the leader of the government, to intervene and stop the draining of financial resources by the Ministry of ICT.
He said it was getting clearer that the Ministry of ICT had someone whom it preferred for the position of ESTVA.
“This is not good; it compromises public trust in the governance of institutions,” he said.
FRESH CONTROVERSY
Impeccable sources said the Ministry of ICT might consider headhunting another candidate or second a government official to the position of ESTVA CEO.
It is understood that a candidate who became fifth during the interview for the post of CEO could be seconded to ESTVA. He scored 54 per cent during the interview.
Sources said he could be offered a three-year contract. This can be illegal as the Board is understood to have been sidelined from the process.
Ordinarily, the Board is supposed to initiate the request for the secondment of the officer to ESTVA. The Ministry of ICT, in turn, is expected to make a recommendation to SCOPE. SCOPE will then ask for Cabinet to approve the secondment of the officer.
ESTVA management could not be sought for comment on the matter as it is an interested party, highly conflicted as two of its executives applied for the job. Board Chairman Prince Sicunusa could also not be reached for comment.