transformation’
There seems to be a lack of trust in the abilities of black people in the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, claim staff
Fiona Macleod One of South Africa’s favourite politicians, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa, faces a revolt in his department amid accusations from disgruntled staff that he is unfairly targeting black employees. In the past nine months, at least 11 top managers – 30% of the department’s management – have left or been axed. Eight of the 11 are black. Disgruntled managers still at the department say their functions have been usurped by a shadowy, elite unit of consultants who are mostly white and who control a budget of close to R100-million a year. “Moosa has completely reversed every little bit of transformation introduced by his predecessors. When it comes to politicking and careerism, this department takes the cake,” says Steve Tiba, chief director of biodiversity and heritage. Tiba has started legal proceedings since he was informed last month that he had been fired. He claims he was targeted ever since Moosa took over the reins on June 17 last year.
“When the minister was appointed, he told us he was concerned that top management was appointed without his involvement. He wanted to do a clean-up and even before he knew what material he had in the department he was sending out the wrong messages,” he says.
Tiba, who has a PhD in botany, had only been employed in the department for two weeks before Moosa took over. He is contesting his axing on the grounds of victimisation and irregularities.
In addition to the 11 managers who have left the department, one chief director and two directors have been sidelined and replaced by whites. One director who is planning to leave but did not want to be named says “there seems to be a lack of trust in the abilities of black people”. He points out that a recent internal audit of various directorates identified low morale as the biggest threat – at 46% – to the department.
An anonymous complaint faxed to the Mail & Guardian from the labour relations division states: “All whites are promoted without questions, but the poor majority are sidelined and manipulated.” It accuses Director General Chippy Olver of undermining efforts to transform the department. Olver, who joined the department on November 1, worked with Moosa when he was minister of local government and constitutional development.
In December he set up a new division called the project management unit (PMU), with the mandate to run poverty relief programmes for the department. It was allocated just under R200-million for the past two years and a further R200-million for 2001/2. The core staff of the PMU consists of one black and six white “contract employees”. Their jobs were not advertised and most were seconded from the former department of state expenditure.
The unit is headed by Julian Sturgeon, former South African director of the Africa Resources Trust, an NGO that has been linked to right-wing international conservation groups.
Managers in Moosa’s department say they are kept in the dark about the PMU’s projects, and it is making decisions about policy that fall outside its mandate. Tiba, for instance, complains that despite being chief director of biodiversity, he was not consulted on South Africa’s presentation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) earlier this year. Cites makes important rules about the sale and protection of endangered species. “Everybody is talking about how effective Moosa is as the new minister,” says Tiba. “Hasn’t the media made him into something he is not? Is he really delivering?” Olver admits the PMU “may be a bit paler than we would have liked”, but points out the civil service lacks public management skills. “Theoretically their skills will get passed on, though this will take a few years.”
He denies his revamp of the department is racist and points out he has made several top black appointments in the past months. He says most of those who left moved on to better jobs, or were axed because they were not up to the job. Moosa’s special adviser, Didi Moyle, has also shrugged off the charges of racism. “Whenever there’s a new minister and director general there will be a turnover of staff,” she says. “There has to be capacity to administer the huge amounts for poverty relief. Our department is considered the most efficient administrator of those funds and we are trying to create a model for other government departments.”