The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has written to SCOPA Chairperson, Maggie Govender, calling for Premier Sihle Zikalala and the now suspended Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) board to appear before the parliamentary watchdog committee to answer questions around political and procurement interference within the entity, by certain board members.
The move comes after the close-out budget performance hearing with Ezemvelo and the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) on Friday last week.
The tell-tale signs of Ezemveo’s collapse have been there for years and the DA has continually raised its concerns and urged KZN’s ANC-led government to intervene and save the entity. One of these is the issue of political interference by board members – a concern which was confirmed during Friday’s close-out report.
On being questioned by the DA regarding the role of the now suspended Board, EDTEA Acting Head of Department (HOD) Sihle Mkhize admitted that there had indeed been political interference by certain members and that this included meddling within the procurement process.
The DA has been vindicated in its concerns. Given this revelation, it is little wonder that Ezemvelo is in such a state. It is also little wonder that almost four years since the entity’s commercialisation process first began, there are no final results to show despite the now-suspended board being specifically tasked with concluding this. Meanwhile, Ezemvelo is also unable to spend its budget and continually shows a decline in revenue generation.
It must also be remembered that board members are remunerated and that their services are not necessarily offered out of love for the cause. According to a recent media report, Ezemvelo’s 12-member board cost our province almost R5 million during the 2019/20 financial year. This while the national wildlife authority, SANPARKS – with its 11-member board – costs taxpayers less that R1million per annum. In fact, the KZN Ezemvelo board Chairperson is remunerated almost the same figure as the entire SANPARKS board costs.
Once a proud entity within our province – the jewel in the crown as it were – Ezemvelo has slowly but steadily been crumbling and is now nothing more than a dysfunctional embarrassment. Regrettably, this is not a new phenomenon. Instead, it is a microcosm of the disastrous effects of a failed state and proof, yet again, that a capable state under the ANC-led provincial government in nothing more than a pipe dream.
The question that must now be asked is – will there be any consequences for certain board members as a result of their political and procurement interference? It is for this reason that the DA has called for Premier Zikalala to appear before SCOPA where he needs to outline the criteria used in the appointment of the now defunct board and whether there was in fact any vetting process conducted.
If the Premier is sincere about a clean and accountable government, built on a capable and ethical state, then he needs to put his money where his mouth is and start with Ezemvelo. The ball is in his court. Light is the only disinfectant for corruption, so bring this matter out into the open Premier!