ALL staff at Mpumalanga’s Tourism Authority (MTA) have lost their jobs and will have to re-apply for positions when the organisation is restructured early next year. A group of 17 staff members have already consulted with attorneys in an attempt to fight the move but declined to comment for fear of prejudicing their legal claims. The radical restructuring was announced in an internal MTA memorandum earlier this month but only publicly confirmed on Tuesday. MTA chief executive, Jenny Briedenhann, said budgetary and provincial policy had forced the organisation to refocus its services away from tourism development and investment procurement to a purely marketing role. The shift requires totally new staff and other structures, she said. The revamped MTA will have space for only 18 core staff.