Ezemvelo conservation boss quits amid plans to merge with Sharks Board

Barely three years after his predecessor bowed out with a golden handshake following a damning report on organisational turmoil at the provincial conservation agency‚ Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife boss David Mabunda has resigned.

Mabunda’s departure comes at a time when the KwaZulu-Natal government plans to merge the cash-strapped nature conservation agency with the KZN Sharks Board to form a new organisation and out-source several eco-tourism operations to the private sector.

Announcing his resignation on Tuesday‚ Mabunda said his departure was “amicable” - but several insiders claim he came under pressure to leave after the recent appointment of a new Ezemvelo board by Sihle Zikalala‚ the provincial MEC for Economic Affairs‚ Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

Mabunda was brought in as acting chief executive to restore stability at Ezemvelo following the suspension of the previous CEO‚ Bandile Mkhize‚ at the end of 2014. Mkhize left after a government task team report exposed inflated salary increases for top executives and amid allegations of “jobs for pals”.

Late in 2015 Mabunda’s acting appointment was extended into a three-year contract‚ due to end next year. It is not known whether he will receive a settlement package following early departure.

A new board was appointed early this year‚ but unlike previous Ezemvelo boards appointed for three years‚ the current board has a tenure of just one year.

Zikalala’s office has declined to explain the reasons for the short tenure‚ though the MEC announced plans last month to merge Ezemvelo and the KZN Sharks Board before December 2018 as part of a rationalisation plan for provincial public entities.

At a staff farewell on Tuesday‚ Mabunda likened his appointment to a “rescue mission” to pull the organisation out of quagmire.

“We were hit by a tsunami in the form of the moratorium on the filling of vacant posts and the debilitating budget cuts ... While the fiscal consolidation is common across government departments and state entities‚ Ezemvelo suffered heavily because of its long history of under-funding and the inability to spend. It’s been an uphill struggle to find sufficient funds to run the organisation optimally.

“I must declare upfront that the parting is amicable and mutual. I have not misappropriated or stolen the organisation’s money. The media’s allegations of a power struggle between the board and management is incorrect and mischievous‚” he stated.

“In the next year or two‚ who knows‚ there may as well be no Ezemvelo in its present form but a new entity with a new leadership from board to management if the current rationalisation of public entities is anything to go by.”

Sthabiso Chiliza‚ who joined Ezemvelo in 2006 and has a Masters degree in Commerce and a BA Arts degree‚ has been appointed as interim chief executive.

- TimesLIVE