'Corruption' probed at nuclear agency

The technology arm of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa, the nuclear industry regulator, is being probed for corruption involving senior managers.

A spokesman for Necsa's wholly-owned subsidiary, Nuclear Technology Products Radioisotopes, this week confirmed the appointment of external forensic auditors to investigate serious allegations contained in an affidavit deposed by one of its own managers, Lionel Adendorf.

Adendorf, the NTP media and stakeholder relations manager, claims to have sat in on irregular supply chain meetings involving senior managers and potential service providers.

He reported this to his superiors this month but has since been charged with insubordination for an apparently unrelated matter. He is fighting back, claiming he is being victimised for blowing the whistle on suspicious procurement practices.

Adendorf is an executive committee member of the Western Cape ANC and shot to prominence by speaking out against his former chairman, Marius Fransman. He started at NTP in July.

NTP is a world leader in the production of radiochemicals, including the kind used in cancer diagnostics. It is based in Pelindaba, west of Pretoria.

Responding to Sunday Times queries, NTP spokesman Lindo Zwane said: "We can confirm that Mr Adendorf has indeed made a disclosure.

"We are treating it as a protected disclosure. We can also confirm that in order to afford Mr Adendorf all the protection due to him, external forensic auditors have been appointed to perform a thorough investigation into the allegations made."

Zwane also confirmed Adendorf's internal disciplinary inquiry, to be chaired by an independent senior commissioner of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, "to protect Mr Adendorf against any real or perceived unfair and/or discriminatory labour practice".

He added: "This inquiry is in no way related to the disclosure made by Mr Adendorf."

In his affidavit, seen by the Sunday Times, Adendorf details a series of allegedly irregular meetings involving his immediate superior, Arno van Haght, and potential NTP service providers. He claims the meetings appeared aimed at favouring specific service providers by pushing for "single supplier" status and by discussing "intimate" project information.

Adendorf has also submitted documents to the public protector, among them details of correspondence between Van Haght and these service providers.

Some of the correspondence relates to a Future of Fusion symposium involving Johannesburg firm Contact Media. Adendorf claims the correspondence reveals how the concept of the symposium originated in-house, but it was later packaged as a Contact Media project.

In the initial project proposal, circulated in August, Van Haght wrote: "The concept for this symposium was designed and developed by NTP's GC&SR [group communications and stakeholder response] unit in answer to a request by the leadership of Necsa."

However, responding to Sunday Times queries, Contact Media claimed the concept as its own. In a statement, CEO Sean Press and MD Donna Verrydt said: "We confirm that the Future of Fusion symposium is a concept that was created by, and is solely owned by, Contact Media & Communications."

Press and Verrydt declined to comment further.

E-mail correspondence reveals that Adendorf recused himself from an internal NTP tender meeting because he claimed he and Van Haght had previously discussed details of the tender with service providers, including with Johannesburg-based Vuma Reputation Management.

In an e-mail to Van Haght on November 9, Adendorf wrote: "I would respectfully ask to be excused from this process. I am conflicted following a meeting I attended with service providers when this matter was discussed."

In his subsequent affidavit, submitted to NTP, Adendorf wrote: "Ever since I started working at NTP I have been part of meetings with service providers or potential service providers where intimate details about requests for quotes or tenders were discussed.

"These discussions left me uncomfortable and conflicted as these meetings were either initiated by Mr Van Haght, called by him, or arranged by him at our facilities or at the office or on a property of two different service providers."

Van Haght referred queries to Zwane. Necsa requested more time to prepare comment.

Vuma Reputation Management CEO Janine Hills said the allegations against her company "are unfortunate and we are all saddened by them as an organisation ... we are a company with integrity with a zero tolerance for corruption. We have never and will never be involved in any questionable dealings of any kind."