An escalating leadership struggle lies behind last month’s resignation of former Robben Island Museum council chairperson Naledi Tsiki, together with the rest of the council and interim chief executive, Seelan Naidoo.
The resignations, which have not been fully explained, are the latest calamity to hit the museum. Last year the chief executive, Paul Langa, and the chief operating officer, Denmark Tungwana, were suspended over alleged financial irregularities.
Tsiki acknowledged he had clashed with Naidoo repeatedly, but said Naidoo’s ”unilateral” staff restructuring programme, with threatened retrenchments, had inflamed the situation on the island.
Naidoo said staff restructuring was done at the council’s behest and that talks were under way with the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union when staff began picketing at the V&A Waterfront, calling for his resignation.
Nehawu’s Western Cape secretary, Suraya Jawoodeen, confirmed meeting Tsiki and Naidoo about proposed staff restructuring. ”We were concerned about the conditions of employment of our members, but this is Robben Island we are talking about and it has to be preserved. So we went into restructuring with the island to make it work.”
Sources said pamphlets distributed on Robben Island saying that Naidoo was not welcome on the island because he was an Indian were part of the ”disgraceful” racist campaign against him. However, Tsiki said race had not played a part in leadership tensions.
”Those pamphlets were degrading and anonymous, and were not helpful because they gave a racial slant, which was not the issue. The issue was management style.”
Tsiki said he had heard rumours that he had misused resources in the hiring of cars, but this was ”sheer mischief and utter rubbish”.
Lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding the decision to disband the council he said that during a meeting with arts and culture Minister Lulu Xingwana the council had offered to step down. ”Due to the dysfunction of council, we suggested to the minister we all step down and reconstitute it as a viable, functional representative council.”
Tsiki said his resignation was not intended to be permanent and it was his understanding that he would be included in the new council. A political prisoner on Robben Island for 12 years, Tsiki said the R20 000 stipend he received as Robben Island Museum chairperson was his sole income.
Nobody had contacted him to discuss nominations for a new council. The only contact since his resignation was a call asking him to return his cellphone sim card, as it was the property of Robben Island Museum.
”Unless we act expeditiously to put things right, the danger looms that the island could lose its world heritage status,” Tsiki said.
”Some elements in government could not handle the situation politically. They wanted me to do the cleanup and set the island on a different course. Now they want to get rid of me. This has been the experience of most ex-political prisoners and we don’t know why.”
Mack Lewele, director of communications for the arts and culture department, said no undertakings were given that former council members would be included in the new council.
Naidoo was involved in the restructuring of Johannesburg’s Market and Windybrow theatres and the National Arts Council.
Following the suspension last year of Robben Island Museum’s top management for ”gross negligence and mismanagement” he was brought in to set the island back on its feet.
He said recent events had been an emotional roller coaster for him and his family.
”I put my heart and soul into this task. It was not just another job for me. We had a huge financial turnaround and it was exhilarating to achieve all this with such a hard-working team,” said Naidoo.
In recent months, mounting debts were paid off, some buildings refurbished and some environmental and conservation issues addressed. New buses and refurbished vessels saw an increase in the number of visitors to the island, with the unÂÂaudited 2008/2009 annual financial statements reflecting a surplus of R11-million and a 20% increase in visitor revenue.
Vusithemba Ndima, the acting deputy director general of cultural heritage in the arts and culture department, was appointed interim chief executive last week.