Ezemvelo Investigated

Information and Discussion on Ezemvelo KZN Management Issues
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Toko
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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

Post by Toko »

Ezemvelo got funding and did not use it, that's not a new problem O/
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife - R39.512 million in 2014/15 for its road maintenance programme: This is not new funding, per se, as these funds were suspended from the
entity’s 2013/14 budget and allocated back to it in 2014/15 for the road maintenance programme, as it was not in a position to spend the full amount in the previous year.
Source: 2014/15 Budget Speech KZN, march 2014


Also ongoing audit issues: five qualified audits in the past five financial years O/


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Lisbeth
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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

Post by Lisbeth »

Lazy and incompetent can be the only explanation. At least the money has not gone elsewhere O**


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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

Post by Bushcraft »

Lisbeth wrote:Lazy and incompetent can be the only explanation. At least the money has not gone elsewhere O**
Sums it up \O


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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

Post by PennyinSA »

I was shocked at how arrogant and incompetent the goodly "doctor"came over in the interview on Carte Blanche. It certainly did not fill me with hope for the future of Ezemvelo. We will never stay in their Park again after being proud owners of a golden rhino card and being prepared to always give them the benefit of the doubt - enough is enough. Our last trip to one of their reserves was an absolute disaster!


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Toko
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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

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Major boost for KZN's anti-poaching fight

20 November 2014 at 12:07 by Diane Macpherson - Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife's authorised for 44 additional field rangers to be deployed in law enforcement and surveillance in rhino-carrying reserves in our province.

Twenty-three of these rangers have just completed their training with Ezemvelo the remainder are new recruits.
Fifteen of these field rangers will be deployed to the 64 000 hectare Ozabeni Game Reserve in the northern section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site.
Around 21 rhino there have been killed this year by poachers.
Overall, Ezemvelo has 90 field posts vacant, but it says it does not have the finances to fill all of them.
Ezemvelo's CEO Bandile Mkhize however says they have managed to find funding for the 44 additional field rangers, as ‘feet-on-the-ground’ is an indispensable component in the battle against poaching.


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Toko
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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

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Ezemvelo has 90 field posts vacant, but it says it does not have the finances to fill all of them.
Please get your priorities right, ezemvelo O/


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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

Post by Lisbeth »

There seem to be a lot of investigations to do at Ezemvelo 0=


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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

Post by Toko »

From FB:

After years of parliamentary inquiries, irregular financial expenditure, appalling auditor general reports and wide-spread mis-management at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the embattled organisation’s CEO’s days may be numbered.

Details from a damning special task-team report and a cabinet decision calls for the board’s immediate suspension of top guns, CEO Dr Bandile Mkhize, and CFO Darius Chitate.

This emerged yesterday when Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu presented its findings to union leaders, management, board members and staff members of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

Calling for their heads to roll, and with the backing and full support of the KZN provincial cabinet, the report is the culmination of a task-team probe that begun in August, soon after a striking work-force rallied for Mkhize to leave the wildlife and tourism entity for good.

Approximately 300 Ezemvelo employees, union leaders, executive managers and the Ezemvelo board members attended yesterday’s meeting held in the auditorium at the conservation agency’s headquarters in Pietermaritzburg.

According to Mabuyakhulu’s spokesman, Bheko Mdlala, the move came as a result of an investigation that probed into matters surrounding the highly contentious migration process (restructuring of staff) that has left hundreds of workers bitter and left out in the cold, while others were integrated into the new system.

Earlier this year it was also reported certain members of EKZNW’s top level executive structure had received more than R20 million in excessive disbursements, which they have since been ordered to repay.

Asked whether any of the moneys had been re-paid, Madlala said:

“When we appointed the task-team in August, we instructed them to re-pay the money.

“We have now re-issued that call. What we have said this time around, is that if such instructions are not followed, heads will obviously have to roll”, Mdlala said.

Since his appointment in late 2008, Mkhize’s reign at the helm of the organization has been a rocky one, dogged by allegations of mismanagement, financial irregularities, operating without a properly constituted board, and failing qualified audits.

“In July, after the election, when EKZNW was incorporated under the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, (it was previously under the Department of Agriculture) there was an industrial action.

“Some staff members were not happy with the restructuring process. Some of the employees had been migrated to the new structure with benefits, while others were left outside the new dispensation.

“In August the MEC instituted a probe into the matter and appointed a task team to look at the issues. And the task team was given terms of reference.

“As part of the findings of the task team, the cabinet recommended that the government should consider suspending the CEO, as well as ensuring the board is reconstituted. The MEC took the findings to cabinet with specific recommendations.

“According to the findings, the process of re-structuring was done in an arbitrary and irrational manner” he said.

“The outcome was that the CEO should have been able to exercise due diligence in this matter and the findings on the board were also quite damning, in that it failed to exercise its responsibility fiducially’.

Madlala also confirmed cabinet’s recommendation to suspend CFO Darius Chitate.

By early evening yesterday, the department has not yet received a response from the board or its chairman, Comfort Ngidi.

“As we are speaking, the chairman of the board is engaged in a meeting with board members, as directed by the MEC.

“In terms of following the legal prescripts, we have to ensure that as government, we consult with the board and let the board take the appropriate action. Once the board arrives at the appropriate decision, they will then inform us of their decision.”

Asked whether an acting CEO would be appointed immediately, Mdlala said it would be left to the board to deliberate and arrive at a consensus, in consultation with the MEC.

“What we hope for is the result of this action will put Ezemvelo back on track and normalcy will be returned to the organization”.

Commenting on suggestions that there was little public confidence in the board itself, Madlala said “that is why we have said the board must go undergo re-training. This is a new board and they have not interacted with the organization. They have only had meetings.

“Based on the recommendations of the MEC, the appropriate actions they need to take are they need to be re-trained on the King code, as well as oversight and governance issues.


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Lisbeth
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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

Post by Lisbeth »

It was about time! Hopefully a new board and above all a new CEO will do a better work.


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Re: Ezemvelo Investigated

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Ezemvelo moves to suspend head

November 26 2014 at 10:09am
By CHRIS NDALISO

Ezemvelo KZN’s chief executive and chief financial officer have until Thursday to explain to the wildlife authority’s board why they should not be suspended.

Bandile Mkhize and his chief financial officer, Darius Chitate, must answer question on the restructuring of executive/management salaries at a cost to Ezemvelo of around R20 million.

This emerged on Tuesday at a media briefing by Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Mike Mabuyakhulu, where he announced the findings of a task team established to probe the restructuring.

Mabuyakhulu ordered the establishment of the task team in July to investigate claims that the restructuring, implemented last year, had been unfair.

Ezemvelo employees had claimed the process was for the sole benefit of management and at the expense of low-ranking staff.

According to the task team’s damning report, the restructuring had been flawed. It also recommended that the board should give reasons as to why it should not be reconstituted.

The report said Ezemvelo’s finances had been compromised by the implementation of the unbudgeted restructuring.

“It is on these grounds that the MEC set up the task team and last week the team’s recommendations were tabled to cabinet for guidance, and the cabinet endorsed the report’s recommendations,” said the MEC’s spokesman, Bheko Madlala.

According to the report, which the Daily News has seen, the process “unduly benefited” management and a handful of other employees at the expense of the other employees.

Mkhize had misrepresented the state of Ezemvelo’s finances to the board, it said.

Certain employees in the A to D band were unduly given revised salaries, the report said.

It said Treasury regulations which prohibit expenditure without following authorised process had been flouted.

The expenditure during the restructuring was not recorded accordingly in the annual financial statements, and was implemented in a rushed manner which rendered the whole process to be flawed, the report said.

It was also was put in place before the MEC’s approval.

According to the report, the revision of executive/management salaries in July 2013 and the subsequent approval in October 2013 constituted irregular expenditure and was unlawful.

The restructuring process was not budgeted for.

Mkhize had assured the board that all costs for the exercise would be contained within the existing personnel budget.

“The CEO’s assurances to the board did in fact result in additional financial risk exposure of the organisation,” said the report.

The task team recommended that the board should consider instituting disciplinary actions against the chief executive and CFO for their acts.

It also said the restructuring should be started afresh.

It was recommended that the board, with immediate effect, suspend the two executives with full pay while disciplinary proceedings were under way.

The salary increases must be immediately stopped and all staff who unduly benefited financially must engage in a process of paying back the money.

The MEC, in consultation with the board, will decide who would act as CEO and CFO while Mkhize and Chitate are suspended.

Mkhize last night told the Daily News he had first heard of the report at Tuesday’s meeting and could not comment as he had not seen the report.

“I’ll only comment once I see the contents of the report and as the things unfold.

“I’m proud of what I’ve done for the organisation,” said Mkhize.

Board chairperson, advocate Comfort Ngidi, said the board had given Mkhize and Chitate letters requesting that they respond as to why they should not be suspended before the end of Thursday.


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