Former Pan Africanist Congress leader Thami ka Plaatjie has quit politics and joined the National Development Agency (NDA) as a strategy and policy coordinator.
But his appointment is already controversial. Some NDA staffers allege the post was not advertised, though the NDA says it has proof of the advertisement placed in newspapers. The staffers also say they were surprised to see Ka Plaatjie, as someone so new to the organisation, leading strategic planning sessions at the Kruger National Park last week.
Ka Plaatjie has also resigned his position as registrar at Vista University, Sebokeng Campus. He leaves under a cloud: he was accused of costing the university thousands of rands by abusing its vehicles and its telephones. He has dismissed the allegations as ”a racial campaign” by people opposed to transformation on the campus.
Ka Plaatjie has been a colourful and controversial figure in the PAC. He ducked out of a contest for the party presidency in June this year at the last minute. He has since kept a low profile, but was associated briefly with a group that wanted to split from the PAC because of their unhappiness about the party’s election results.
Of his resignation from Vista, Ka Plaatjie said: ”I had been at Vista for 17 years — I felt I had reached my ceiling and needed new challenges. I was approached by many institutions, but I felt the NDA was a more tempting challenge because it deals with issues close to my heart such as poverty alleviation and community development.”
NDA staff members, who spoke to the Mail & Guardian on condition of anonymity, said they had planned to disrupt a press conference scheduled for Thursday, which was later cancelled. The press conference was intended to address the allegations of employment irregularities.
”There are people who just come in from the top, and after they are employed you see their posts advertised. There is a lot of disgruntlement, and that is why many people are resigning,” said a staff member.
NDA spokesperson Simphiwe Ndzingani rejected the allegations: ”All these allegations about improper employment policies are speculation. We have proof that all the posts were advertised.”