Durban - The appointment of the new board of directors for Ezemvelo has become another thorny political issue after senior ANC members again topped the charts.
Ezemvelo is owned by the KwaZulu-Natal government. It manages several game reserves, resorts and protected areas across the province.
Among its flagship entities is the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal which used to be a hunting ground for the Zulu monarch. The reserve is also home to the famous Big Five.
In the luxury resorts sector, it owns, among others, the Didima resort in the Drakensberg in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
In the past decade, Ezemvelo has been in the spotlight following allegations of financial mismanagement and falling standards at its resorts.
Opposition parties, including the IFP and the DA, in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, attributed the failures of the entity, which now relies on bailouts to survive, to poor board performance.
On Friday, MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) Ravi Pillay announced Ezemvelo’s new board, which came after the disbandment of yet another poor-performing board that was also dominated by ANC members.
Among the people Pillay named who raised eyebrows is the former MEC for agriculture, rural development and environmental affairs, Lydia Johnson.
Johnson is a seasoned ANC politician whose last appointment was as the speaker of the provincial legislature. In justifying her appointment, Pillay said Johnson gained some experience at Ezemvelo during her time as MEC, since the entity was under her political watch.
“Ms Lydia Johnson (chairperson), the former MEC for agriculture during her term, became very familiar with Ezemvelo-KZN Wildlife. She comes with a solid track record. She also served as a speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature and developed strong oversight mechanisms. She brings a historic pedigree, discipline and commitment to good governance as well as the cause of conservation,” Pillay said in a statement.
Another political appointment was that of Njabulo Maxwell Mtolo, a known ANC leader in the Moses Mabhida region. In his statement, Pillay said nothing about Mtolo’s inclusion despite objectors saying that he lacks skills in the environmental sector.
Asked by the Daily News about the uproar around his appointment, Mtolo said he deserved it. “Yes, definitely I do deserve the appointment. My level of education and my experience in finance and commerce qualifies me. I have a BCom Honours degree and 10 years of experience in the finance and commerce environment. This experience is needed to turn the institution around. I don't think that I was appointed based on my political activism. I never even lobbied for this appointment. I do believe that it was on merit,” Mtolo said.
Another appointment that left opposition parties fuming is that of Logie Naidoo, the former deputy mayor and speaker of the ANC-run eThekwini Municipality. The DA’s provincial spokesperson on EDTEA matters, Heinz de Boer, slammed the appointment.
“Brace for more chaos: MEC Pillay appoints stand-up comedian (Naidoo) to new Ezemvelo board … Apart from Naidoo, former ANC legislature speaker Lydia Johnson will chair the board while another ANC up-and-coming youth leader Njabulo Mtolo will also join the board … It is a great pity that politics has again taken centre stage, while biodiversity protection takes the back seat,” he said.
Daily News