The
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced the suspension
of director-general Langa Zita
THE
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced the suspension of
director-general Langa Zita yesterday, but did not elaborate on the reasons,
except to say that they were administrative.
Palesa
Mokomele, spokesman for the minister, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, said Sipho
Ntombela had been appointed acting director-general.
Mr Zita was
barely 20 months into the job and had been introduced by Ms Joemat-Pettersson
as an appropriate candidate with the required background and skills, since he
had been her special adviser on policy.
Ms
Joemat-Pettersson has of late been under pressure from various industry
players, including red meat and ostrich producers, who suffered losses after
disease outbreaks had led to a ban on exports.
In the
fisheries sector, the department was forced to appoint an independent committee
of inquiry into procurement procedures. This led to the suspension of a
company, Sekunjalo , which had won the department’s R800m vessel management
contract, on suspicions of political interference and corruption. The Navy had
to take over management of the department’s maritime patrol vessels on April 1
for at least a year.
The fleet
include the fisheries research vessels Africana, Algoa and Ellen Khuzwayo and
the patrol vessels Sarah Baartman, Lilian Ngoyi, Victoria Mxenge and Ruth
First.
The Navy’s
functions included the crewing of the vessels, the technical management of the
vessels (maintenance, repair and life cycle management); provisioning;
bunkering; operation; accounting and safety and seaworthiness of the ships.
Agri SA
president Johannes Möller said Mr Zita’s suspension did not come as a surprise
as his posting was based on the principle of "cadre deployment", which
was an unacceptable risk for service delivery.
Mr Zita had
worked in the economic cluster of the African National Congress (ANC) and was
chairman of Parliament’s environment and tourism portfolio committee.
His relations
with commercial farmers’ groupings had been abrasive, with Agri SA describing
his manner of addressing the problems of commercial agriculture as
"indicative of his ignorance, and sluggish".
Mr Möller
said such deployments were unfair to individuals like Mr Zita, who should not
have been given such an administratively crucial and strategic position without
the necessary expertise in the first place.
The
Democratic Alliance’s spokes-woman on agriculture, forestry and fisheries,
Annette Steyn, welcomed Mr Zita’s suspension, saying relations between him and
the minister appeared to have become increasingly strained while the
department’s performance had been subject to consistently heavy criticism.
"The
department cannot afford a leadership vacuum, and it is vital that the
processes regarding Mr Zita’s suspension are concluded as soon as possible. The
agriculture sector, and the many South Africans it employs, cannot afford
further uncertainty."
Ms
Joemat-Pettersson told journalists in September 2010 Mr Zita’s appointment
would bring the right knowledge and understanding to help translate the ANC’s
economic policies into the work of her department.
"Under
his stewardship, we are confident that (the department) will now knuckle down
on the deliverables set for us by President Jacob Zuma , which include: decent employment through economic growth;
protect and enhance our environmental assets and natural resources; and
facilitate the creation of vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities
and food security for all."
Mr Zita’s
lawyer, Max Boxwana, said the minister had suspended his client without giving
reasons, which he had now requested.
radebeh@bdfm.co.za
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