Ezemvelo Wildlife board suspended

In the wake of Allegations of financial mismanagement and disarray in the operations of world-renowned and respected conservation organisation, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, its board’s accounting authority has been suspended for four months. The allegations stem from a 2005/06 audit report issued by the KZN auditor general, and a recently released diagnostic investigation into Ezemvelo’s financial affairs carried out by an independent company. W hile officially falling under the KZN Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA), Ezemvelo has historically been allowed significant autonomy in its operations and financial management. The KZN DAEA has paid the province’s conservation budget over to Ezemvelo to manage, in quarterly instalments, and it’s been the board’s prerogative to allocate this budget within the conservation organisation. The decision to temporarily suspend the board’s accounting authority was issued by the MEC for the KZN DAEA, Mtholephi Mthimkhulu. His spokesperson, Mbulelo Baloyi, told Farmer’s Weekly that, pending the outcome of a recently instigated forensic investigation into Ezemvelo’s financial situation, the conservation organisation’s accounting authority will be handed over to Ezemvelo’s chief financial officer, Kholeka Zama. “As a result of the concerns raised in the auditor general’s report, and the report from the independent diagnostic investigation, the Public Finance Management Act obliges MEC Mthimkhulu to take this path,” Baloyi explained. “We’ve been working with the provincial Treasury, and will wait to see what the investigation uncovers before further decisions are made,” he added. E arlier reports on financial activities sparked allegations of corruption, financial mismanagement and poor business planning. This comes at the same time as the KZN DAEA is being plagued by similar allegations. Meanwhile, the IFP has accused the ANC-led KZN DAEA of trying to turn into a party-political tool to win votes. Although apolitical, operates mainly in IFP-dominated regions. Not only does the conservation body manage the province’s natural resources, it also uplifts rural communities by building schools and clinics and by providing employment. zemvelo’s CEO, Khulani Mkhize, did not respond to Farmer’s Weekly’s request for an interview. The organisation’s communications department said it was now forbidden to talk to the media about its financial issues. – Lloyd Phillips