Racism Accusations Amongst Kruger Park Staff

[Alf]

Lets all feel sorry for her or him or whoever it might be....once again the world owes this individual everything

[Klipspringer]

Committee meeting DEFF on SANParks on allegations raised by former employee
06 October 2020
https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/31120/

Parliamentary Presentation:



SANParks Response to the Book titled “The Dark side of the Kruger National Park”


Background and Purpose of the Presentation
• Purpose of Presentation: To respond to the allegations made in the book written by a former employee of SANParks, Mr Risenga Matelakengisa.
• Mr Matelakengisa worked for SANParks for 17 years and was dismissed for misconduct in 2013.
• His book deals predominantly with events that took place during his tenure at the organisation, up until 2013.
• As such, the bulk of his allegations, pre-date both the tenure of the current Board.
• Nevertheless, there are some issues that are raised by Mr Matelakengis athat are matters of concern at the present time and that the current Board and management are addressing. The presentation focuses on these issues.


Issues of concern
• There are 3 key sets of these issues that the current Board is addressing:
• Allegations of racism, unfair labourpractices and human rights abuses at KNP
• The inadequate state of SANParks’ staff housing at KNP.
• Failures in internal communication and particularly in the way that Human Resources policies and developments relating to the Park are communicated and implemented.


Investigations by Management and the Board
• Following complaints by a whistleblower regarding human rights abuses and unfair labourpractices in KNP, the Board requested Management to institute an independent investigation into the allegations made.
• This investigation was conducted and although only 2 of the 11 allegations made were found to have substance, the Board took particular note of the investigators view that further work was required, particularly in relation to the allegations of human rights violations.
• Management suspended staff who were named as having been involved in abuses, however due to the reluctance of the complainants to formally table their complaints, it was not possible to proceed with disciplinary action in which these issues could be properly addressed in an objective legal process.
• The Board felt that internal communication in the Park was inadequate and that work was needed to build organizational cohesion across the board.
• In response to the allegations, the Human Capital Management Committee of the Board also conducted a visit to the KNP and engaged with key stakeholders including management, the trade unions, the trail guides and the antipoaching unit. The input received has guided actions taken.
• Subsequent to this, the KNP Managing Executive at the time resigned.


Remedial Actions in relation to issues identified
• The allegations of human rights abuses in the KNP are of deep concern to the Ministry, Board and Executive Management. In particular, the reluctance of staff who had reported experiencing human rights abuses to set down their complaints in writing was a matter of deep concern.
• In order to address this, and after consultation with the Ministry, it was felt that an independent agency should be brought in to work with staff to establish an environment in which they felt able to formally report any violations so that the alleged perpetrators could be identified and disciplinary and criminal action instituted.
• Accordingly the Board requested Management to engage the services of an appropriate agency to develop a programmethat would clarify and instill a zero tolerance for any human rights or labourrelations abuses and that would create an environment in which staff would be able to address grievances openly.
• The Board also requested a process that would strengthen internal communications and ensure that all staff fully understood the policy environment and that policies were applied equally across the Board.
• Lastly the Board requested Management to expedite a solution to the inadequate housing situation experienced by many staff in KNP.
• In response to these issues the following has taken place:
• The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Mpumalanga office was requested to work with KNP staff and management to do work that would embed a human rights culture across the organization; it was also requested to work with staff who may have been subjected to human rights abuses in order that those individuals could take forward their allegations formally and in a safe environment.
• The CCMA was asked to work with the SAHRC in order to identify and address any deficiencies in the implementation of the Labour Relations frameworks.
• A new interim Park Manager was appointed with a specific mandate to build cohesion across the organization, instill a consultative organizational culture, address grievances, and provide solutions to the staff housing crisis.


Progress to date
• The SAHRC and CCMA began their work in early 2020 and held a number of consultations and workshops with staff before the COVID19 lockdown meant that this work had to be halted. These workshops and consultations, as well as the work that the SAHRC is doing to investigate alleged human rights abuses will be continued again under level 1 and as staff who were considered non-essential return to the Park.
• The new interim Parks Manager began work at KNP in March 2020, just before the lockdown.
• Despite the constraints of the lockdown a consultation process was initiated at all levels of the establishment, including engagements wit staff across all levels at most KNP camps and divisions.
• There is currently engagement with the unions and with worker representatives regarding the processes currently underway and to define a collective way forward that would ensure that working conditions and the working culture is positive and robust.
• In order to address the staff housing issue, an assessment was done of the state of the staff accommodation in the Park. Staff living in the worst accommodation were moved into visitor accommodation during the lockdown while emergency maintenance took place.
• Architectural drawings are completed for a complete revamp of the KNP staff housing.
• Some structures that are considered uninhabitable are due to be demolished.
• Renovations and refurbishment has been able to start under Level 1 lockdown.


Conclusion and Way Forward
• The SANParksBoard is committed to ensuring that the SAHRC and CCMA processes are concluded and that the recommendations emanating from these processes are decisively implemented.
• The SANParksBoard will support the management interventions in the KNP to ensure that organizational cohesion is built, a deep human rights culture is embedded and that the proposed solutions to the staff housing situation are implemented.
• Management actions to support internal consultation and to ensure that all the KNP stakeholders are able to engage with the Management in order to have their concerns tabled and addressed, will continue and is strongly supported.

[Richprins]

Management suspended staff who were named as having been involved in abuses, however due to the reluctance of the complainants to formally table their complaints, it was not possible to proceed with disciplinary action

That is the only relevant point. The rest is window dressing..

At least we now know the REAL reason for staff staying in tourist accommodation...

[Lisbeth]

SANParks always have to arrive at a critical point before doing things. The housing problem is an old issue and should have been resolved much earlier.

due to the reluctance of the complainants to formally table their complaints, it was not possible to proceed with disciplinary action in which these issues could be properly addressed in an objective legal process.

If this is the case, then it cannot be that bad

[harrys]

The only problem in SanParks and other working environments where black and white work togheter is that when a black person is taken on about isues concerning their work performance, they bring out the race card because it's easier to do that than do their jobs propperly........ Finish and klaar, that's how they opperate

[Lisbeth]

Until otherwise proved I think that it is a duty to consider that there might be some truth in the accuses, even if the point that nobody is willing to table their complaints points in the other direction

[Alf]

Some structures that are considered uninhabitable are due to be demolished.

So how do these buildings get to a point where they need to be demolished

I’ve been staying in my house for 11 years and do I consider it uninhabitable......

No

If you don’t care about the place where you live and break it down it gets to a point where they can call it uninhabitable....

[Lisbeth]

They were built a loooong time ago and there were only communal ablutions and not very many as far as I know.

[Richprins]

It is odd indeed...staff are remunerated with good salary packages and live for free, not spending anything on their accommodation upkeep, although not owning it either. Their contracts of employment were entered into knowing full well where they would live.

Personally I think there are literally thousands from neighbouring communities who would be only too happy to have those jobs and it is a fine line regarding who regards what as "uninhabitable"...

These complaints were aired before the Coronavirus outbreak, so it is disingenuous to even mention it regarding the above discussion point.

[Lisbeth]

I suppose that the "rent" is deducted from their salary as they do with hotel employees staying on the premises