By Dr Baptiste Dungu and Lindiwe Mabena
SEVERAL false statements have been made by the current Board of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) on the reasons and outcome of my and Lindiwe Mabena’s suspension, disciplinary process and outcome that led to the termination of our contracts as chief executive (CEO) and the manager in the Office of the CEO, respectively.
During the debate on the State of the Nation 2022, the Minister of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the Honourable Thoko Didiza, stated that my departure at OBP was linked to the GMP project, which is the facility upgrade project at OBP, for which the organisation received in 2014 close to R500 million.
(The Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), a certification that will allow it to enter previously inaccessible international markets. )
I have communicated with the Minister’s office to clarify the fact that none of the charges against me had to do with the project, which was initiated before my time at OBP, and which I brought to the attention of the Auditor-General (AG) for proper audit when I became CEO in 2019.
This was after I noticed that the project, for some strange reasons, was never audited by the AG during the normal year-end audit process. Subsequently, the AG recommended a forensic audit, which I commissioned after approval by the then Board.
It is, therefore, incorrect to state that the termination of my contract was linked to the GMP project.
Mabena and I were suspended from duty in May 2021 on various allegations, of which none was linked to the OBP facility upgrade project, commonly referred to as the GMP project.
I was suspended and put through a disciplinary process with 16 charges, none of which had to do with the GMP project but rather based on issues that were already dealt with by the previous board, including matters that were approved by them.
The presiding officer of the disciplinary enquiry dismissed 13 of the charges, and the remaining three, which were clearly on matters cleared or approved by the previous board and none which were linked to any procurement irregularities, were the basis of the termination of my contract.
The matter is now a subject of an unfair dismissal dispute with the Commission of Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
Mabena was initially charged with six counts of misconduct and, ultimately, found guilty on only one count of misconduct. This as she was also not found guilty of any procurement irregularities.
With regards to the press release issued by the Board of OBP on February 17, it is surprising that our suspension, disciplinary process and termination of contract are being linked to “procurement irregularities”, when none was found in charges laid against Mabena or myself.
With a technically strong team that I brought to OBP (including people with very scarce skills), we corrected the wrongs of the GMP project with a solid plan, part of a GMP roadmap for OBP.
My suspension by the newly appointed Board had the effect of destabilising OBP as all the members of the team working on the GMP project ended up resigning. This has also led to the current outcry caused by vaccine unavailability.
I am shocked and distressed by the bold statements linking Mabena and me to the mismanagement of the GMP project or any procurement irregularities.
Not only are these statements incorrect and misleading, but they have also cast negative and harmful aspersions on our professional reputations.
Lastly, please be advised that under my leadership, OBP achieved the best sales revenue in its history, and was already effectively addressing product unavailability issues, while improving its product portfolio and initiating for the first time an effective plan toward GMP, which is a non-negotiable requirement for vaccine manufacturing in South Africa and globally.
Dr Baptiste Dungu and Lindiwe Mabena.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE