Public Protector to investigate DAFF

2 October 2018

Following my request to the Office of the Public Protector on 13 September 2018, I received a letter from Mr Oupa Segalwe, Acting Executive Manager for Communication and Stakeholder Management, on 28 September 2018, confirming that the Public Protector will be investigating a litany of allegations of corruption, collusion, theft, forgery, and defeating the ends of justice within the senior management of the National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) under the leadership of Minister Senzeni Zokwana.

I welcome the swift response from the Public Protector’s Office, and call for the office to prioritise this investigation in the interests of the Western Cape’s small-scale fisherman and women and the ongoing crisis in our province relating to abalone and West Coast Rock Lobster poaching.

It must be noted, that while DAFF Deputy Director-General, Ms Siphokazi Ndudane, has not been found guilty of the allegations laid against her by the Department, the disciplinary process against her is ongoing. The charge sheet in which these allegations are made is genuine, and has been referenced as part of a judgement made in favour of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) by the Western Cape High Court just last week. The charge sheet was submitted as an affidavit by the WWF as part of the case.

The charges I laid against Ms Ndudane, case number CAS 857/9/2018, at the Cape Town Police Station are being investigated by the South African Police Service and the case is ongoing. Ms Ndudane remains suspended on full pay by the Department, money which is footed by the taxpayer.

There is mounting evidence pointing to systemic corruption within the DAFF’s senior management, which must urgently be investigated and addressed if we are to protect our oceans economy in the Western Cape, and our fishermen and women who depend on it for their livelihoods.

The following questions must still be answered:

1.            Why are there allegations that Ms Ndudane falsified the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for West Coast Rock Lobster, which is why this charge sheet became part of the evidence in the case between WWF and DAFF?  If this is to be proven true, what are her interests in this sector of our fisheries which have caused her to ignore scientific advice necessary to protect natural stock levels? Are there personal interests that she seeks to promote at the expense of our marine ecosystem and fisheries?

2.            Why is Ms Ndudane accused of stealing abalone from the MLRF store rooms in the Western Cape, and allegedly refusing to grant access to the SAPS to conduct verification checks of boxes in storage? Could she be covering up an illicit abalone trade within the Department itself?

3.            Why is it alleged that Ms Ndudane appointed Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo to perform Fishing Rights Allocation Processes (FRAP) without allegedly following the appropriate procurement processes, considering that fishermen and women in the Western Cape are still waiting for fishing quotas? Could she be fast tracking the select awarding of fishing quotas to a connected elite while our small-scale fishermen and women continue to be denied access to our oceans?

4.            Why on the 18 June 2018, was a letter issued by DAFF Minister, Senzeni Zokwana, to withdraw the Delegations of Authority from his Head of Department, Mr M. M. Mlengana, annulling a decision to place Ms Siphokazi Ndudane on precautionary leave following reports of misconduct, only for Ms Ndudane to be suspended again on 5 July 2018.

5.            Why is it alleged that Ms Ndudane made fraudulent payments from the Department’s bank account to EMANG BASADI LEGAL AND FORENSIC SERVICES? Could she been using state funds to pay for her personal legal fees?

I look forward to the Public Protector’s findings so that we can get to the bottom of this issue once and for all.

As the DA in the Western Cape, we remain committed to protecting and preserving the vitality of our oceans, along with the important economy and jobs they sustain for our people. This includes rooting out the corruption which we believe festers at the heart of the DAFF and threatens to collapse the Western Cape’s fisheries. We will not rest until this Department is cleaned out and functioning to best serve the people who depend on it.

Issued by Beverley Schäfer, Standing Committee Chairperson on Economic Opportunities, Tourism, and Agriculture, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Economic Opportunities, Tourism, and Agriculture, 2 October 2018