High drama as tourism brass shut each other out
TWO top officials at Mpumalanga Tourism tried to lock each other out of the organisation’s offices this week.
A long-running dispute flared up when the organisation’s acting secretary of staff, Bheki Malaza, instructed security guards not to allow the agency’s CEO, Jacques Modipane, entry to the building.
When Modipane tried to get in, the guards called the police to stop him.
Malaza was appointed last week after Modipane had been suspended for the second time amid court interdicts and changes in the Mpumalanga provincial administration.
Modipane, however, maintains that “Malaza was illegally appointed”.
Modipane also said he had fired Malaza “on the spot” for insubordination after guards refused him entry, saying they were acting on Malaza’s instructions.
“Where the hell does he get the guts to instruct the security to lock the CEO out of the premises?” asked Modipane.
Last month, Malaza laid a complaint of intimidation against Modipane for allegedly pointing a firearm at him.
Asked about this, Modipane said there had been a “situation” at the offices on May 29 when Malaza “and his hooligans interrupted a board meeting”.
“They kicked my office door and threatened me,” said Modipane. “I told him that I will be forced to defend myself, but to avoid conflict, I picked up my bags and left.”
He said that a few hours later he had been told that Malaza had laid a complaint against him involving a gun.
“There was no gun,” said Modipane.
Malaza said this week that he would respond to Modipane’s allegations, but changed his mind after a sheriff of the high court, who identified himself only as Nkuna, served Malaza with a court interdict in front of Modipane and police officers, ordering him out of the building.
The conflict dates to April, when Modipane was suspended by the chairwoman of Mpumalanga Tourism, Clara Ndlovu. She, in turn, was fired by the then MEC for tourism, Pinky Phosa.
Ndlovu took the matter of her dismissal to court, where it was found that Phosa had not followed proper procedures.
The court ordered that Ndlovu be reinstated until these procedures had been followed. Ndlovu was reinstated, but fired again after Phosa followed the correct procedures.
During the period that the court order stood, Phosa appointed Malaza secretary of staff.
Staff who spoke on condition of anonymity said the two officials had pointed firearms at each other on May 29.
“We were even afraid to come to work because of all this drama. What if someone gets hurt? Some months back we were afraid to come to work because of snakes that were entering our offices, now we have to deal with deadly weapons at the workplace? This must come to an end,” said a staff member.— African Eye News Service