Provincial conservation body CapeNature is in the midst of a leadership crisis, with two of its most senior personnel facing the boot.
l Sources have revealed that the organisation’s chief executive, Manana Moroka, could be dismissed as early as next week. She was suspended in April over an alleged “breach of trust” with the CapeNature board.
l CapeNature human resources director Nazeem Jamie’s future may also be on the line, following investigations into allegedly dubious business dealings.
Although a well-placed source indicated this week that a decision on Moroka’s future had already been taken by the board, this was denied by provincial environment department spokesman Aziel Gangerdine.
The source said the announcement was expected next week, after Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell returns from the US.
Meanwhile, a forensic report by accountancy firm Deloitte & Touche, contracted by the provincial government to investigate Jamie’s business dealings, was completed this week.
That report is expected to be handed to Bredell and provincial environmental department head Piet van Zyl for a decision.
Jamie is being investigated for his alleged links with a company, Soho Management Services, of which his wife Nasieba is a director. According to documents in Weekend Argus’s possession, Jamie was also a director of Soho, but resigned in January.
At issue is whether he declared these business interests to CapeNature.
Also at issue is consulting work Jamie allegedly did for Edward Beeka, head of Red Security in the Cape Town city centre and brother of security strongman Cyril Beeka, who was killed during a drive-by shooting in March last year.
This allegedly occurred after Jamie was given a final warning by CapeNature in July 2010 when a disciplinary hearing found him guilty of obtaining a falsified CapeNature monthly payslip in his wife’s name the previous month, so that she could buy a car.
The fact that he benefited financially from the arrangement with Beeka was an alleged breach of CapeNature policy.
A further issue under investigation involved allegedly irregular payments by Jamie to service providers of CapeNature.
Jamie’s warning expired last June, and he said he had “no valid final written warning at this time”.
Gangerdine was tight-lipped about Jamie yesterday, confirming only that an investigation “into the disciplinary procedure of a CapeNature employee is being conducted” by the provincial government’s Forensic Investigation Unit.
Approached for comment yesterday on the investigation into his links with Soho, Jamie said: “I find this very strange… I am very concerned about what you’re saying.”
Nasieba Jamie said: “We can’t comment. There’s nothing wrong.” Asked whether he knew Edward Beeka, Nazeem Jamie responded: “Soho belongs to Nasieba (his wife).”
Weekend Argus