Heart-to-heart over Hart stalls

Bank executive asks for more time to conduct operation

CLEARLY, Simphiwe “Sim” Tshabalala does not call the shots at Standard Bank after requesting he be given more time to consult over suspended economist Chris Hart’s fate.

So said the Gauteng ANC Youth League (ANCYL) yesterday following their meeting with Tshabalala, who is joint chief executive of the bank with Ben Kruger.

ANCYL provincial chairman Matome Chiloane bemoaned the bank’s decision to have two chief executives, saying Kruger had been appointed to “babysit” Tshabalala as if he was not sufficiently capacitated.

At the meeting, said Chiloane, Tshabalala asked for more time to consult his executive over the youth league’s demands that Hart be shown the door following a controversial tweet he posted on Twitter recently.

This proved that Tshabalala “clearly is not a decision-maker as he needs to consult further on the matter”.

Disciplinary processes were being taken against Hart, and it was decided at the meeting that the two parties would meet again in two weeks’ time.

At the next meeting, the ANCYL expected a briefing from the bank on how it would ensure transformation took place in its top management. It remained a worrying factor that only 25 percent of the bank’s executives were black, said Chiloane.

When contacted by The Star, Hart said he couldn’t comment because of the disciplinary process under way. Standard Bank spokesman Ross Linstrom couldn’t be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the ANCYL was set to launch its “Buy Black Friday” campaign next week, aimed at supporting blackowned enterprises.

The country’s economy needed to reflect its demographics, and to realise this, black companies needed to be supported to thrive, Chiloane said.

He added: “We are putting together a database of all black companies and call on entrepreneurs to contact us and submit their company details.”

Clearly, he is not a decision-maker as he needs to consult