Conservation boss faces suspension
Bandile Mkhize, chief executive of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, stands accused with his chief financial officer of compromising the finances of Ezemvelo. He tells Mervyn Naidoo he is being victimised because of his ‘good work’.
EZEMVELO KZN Wildlife chief executive Bandile Mkhize will know, before the close of business tomorrow, whether he will be suspended.
Mkhize, who took up his position six years ago, has been accused, along with chief financial officer Darius Chitate, of plunging the organisation into “financial risk” by implementing a costly process of staff restructuring.
It is alleged that the salaries of Ezemvelo’s top brass were bumped up considerably after the restructuring process, which exceeded the organisation’s budget by millions of rand.
This emerged after a task team, set up by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mike Mabuyukhulu, probed Ezemvelo’s restructuring process.
But Mkhize claims he would never “hoodwink” Ezemvelo.
“I inherited what you call a ‘dog’s breakfast’ when I took over in 2008, but I’ve managed to clean up Ezemvelo and earn local and international recognition for the organisation. Now I’m being nailed because people don’t like the good work I’m doing,” he said.
In response to the task team’s findings, which were released on Tuesday, Ezemvelo’s chairman Comfort Ngidi ordered Mkhize and Chitate to submit plausible reasons why they should not be suspended.
The pair were given until Thursday to heed the instruction.
But both Mkhize and Chitate asked for more time because they had not seen the allegations contained in the task team’s report, when they received the ultimatum.
Risk
In summing up the task team’s finding, Ngidi said Mkhize allegedly made misrepresentations to Ezemvelo’s board of directors about the restructuring process and placed the organisation at great financial risk.
“The entire restructuring process is expected to cost between R40 million and R70m, it is money we don’t have,” Ngidi revealed.
He hoped Mkhize and Chitate would use this weekend to formulate their respective responses.
“I’m meeting Ezemvelo board’s secretary on Monday, we’re hoping to have the responses by then so that the decision to suspend Mkhize and Chitate or not could be taken,” said Ngidi.
The chairman indicated a decision would be made after telephonic deliberations with board members, but realised there could be a delay if a meeting with Ezemvelo’s board had to be convened.
“It all depends on the responses we received from Mkhize and Chitate,” explained Ngidi.
If the decision was to suspend the pair, Ngidi said it would be a precautionary measure and, “the fate of Mkhize and Chitate will be in the hands of a disciplinary board,” which will constitute independent people.
However, Mkhize is confident, “I will win hands down if I’m brought before a disciplinary board.”
He questioned the credibility of the report released by the task team.
“One of the things glaringly wrong with the report is the allegation that I sidelined Ezemvelo’s human relations general manager when effecting restructuring and placement of employees.
“It is a blatant lie. Therefore I doubt the credibility of the report,” Mkhize asserted.
He maintained the restructuring process was necessary for Ezemvelo to effectively deliver on its mandate and it was conceptualised by a consultant, Adrian Toms, who was hired by the old board in 2010.
The board also established a committee to work with Toms and Mkhize implemented the consultant’s strategies.
The new board came into office in 2012 and also “rubber stamped” Toms’s work, according to Mkhize.
When Toms died earlier this year, Mkhize said, he continued to implement the strategies of the consultant. He was also adamant that salaries had not been inflated, in fact, according to recommendations made by the company hired by Toms to handle Ezemvelo’s human relations and salary structure, Mkhize was earning far less than was recommended.
“All my work has been for the improvement of wildlife in this country, my achievements speak for themselves,” said the chief executive.
“People want to bring me down because others were taken out of their comfort zones, but the truth will be revealed in the end,” he said.
Ngidi responded: “Mkhize and Chitate have served Ezem-velo well, they must be given a fair opportunity to present their side of things.”