/ 28 September 2001

Woman fired for leaking Kruger corruption report

Justin Arenstein and Dumisane Lubisi

Kruger National Park’s new intelligence unit has exposed and fired a “racist mole” accused of leaking damning evidence of corruption in the game reserve’s Satara Camp.

Mariet Bodenstein allegedly stole and leaked a forensic report detailing corruption, mismanagement and theft by three black senior park officials that resulted in losses of R1,1-million at Satara.

The report was leaked to two disgruntled former white South African National Parks (SANP) employees, who in turn sparked public calls for a judicial commission of inquiry into the entire Kruger Park administration by sending the report to the Democratic Alliance (DA).

“I did e-mail the report to former colleagues, but the information was common knowledge at the time and I had no idea that they would give it to the DA or the media,” said Bodenstein.

“And now, someone in the park is leaking the contents of my disciplinary hearing to try and twist the case further and make me look racist.”

Bodenstein (53) pleaded guilty to gross misconduct at her disciplinary hearing and was fired from her position as internal auditor on September 21. She had worked at Kruger and SANP’s head office in Pretoria for 19 years.

Kruger Park spokesperson William Mabasa would only say the DA’s allegations of mismanagement had formed part of a campaign to portray the organisation’s retrenchment policies as racist or anti-white.

“Bodenstein colluded with white colleagues to divert attention from the real reasons for retrenchments, but creating an impression of widespread mismanagement by black officials,” said Mabasa.

“The fact that no one wants to acknowledge is that we uncovered and prosecuted the Satara case, and saw to it that all three officials involved were dismissed for corruption in July.”

Mabasa confirmed that the Kruger’s former anti-poaching unit had been transformed into a “corporate intelligence unit” that now conducted internal surveillance and investigation against officials.

He declined to say whether the unit monitored staff e-mail or telephones, insisting: “I have no insight into the unit’s methods or techniques.”

DA environmental spokesman Errol Moorcroft said the party viewed Bodenstein as a whistleblower and her dismissal as unfair.

“She apparently released a document detailing corruption involving state resources. This is an issue that should have been in the public domain, and she was acting therefore as a whistle-blower,” said Moorcroft. African Eye News Service