North West MEC for Economic, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, Bitsa Lenkopane, allegedly faces a “political smear campaign” to vacate her office following accusations of failing to pay workers for Parks and Tourism Board (NWPTB).
It has been alleged that this was after Lenkopane told some members of the provincial standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) to declare their businesses with the Parks and Tourism Board.
NWPTB is registered as a Section 3C state-owned entity reporting to the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT).
The board is mandated to manage the 14 protected areas and nature reserves in the province.
These include two world-renowned reserves, the Pilanesberg and Madikwe Game Reserves.
It was also mandated to provide hospitality training conducted in two hotel schools, one in Mahikeng and the other in Taung.
Sources said some union members, alleged to be in the pockets of politicians, recently staged a protest in Mahikeng and forced the board paymaster not to process the salaries.
The sources alleged that this was despite Lenkopane’s efforts to make salaries available after she was approached for intervention.
A recording, believed to be a conversation between the officials, alleged that those who were against Lenkopane were the most corrupt and were also afraid that they would be exposed.
“That is why they think the best way is to stop her by destabilising the department. There was no way that an administration could fight a political head. A political head and administration should work together. Someone has realised that the MEC is about to uncover their shenanigans and they are trying to confuse and frustrate her,” the source said.
However, in a statement issued on February 13, Scopa chairperson Smuts Matshe said Lenkopane abused her presence by attacking the committee members.
This was also after the DA in the province called on Premier Lazarus Mokgosi to reconsider Lenkopane’s deployment as MEC DEDECT following her failure to address the financial and governance crisis at NWPTB.
The party said Lenkopane’s inaction and arrogance left employees unpaid while the entity faced total collapse.
The DA’s spokesperson on Economic Development, Environment, Conversation and Tourism, John Steenkamp, for months, the party and the Portfolio Committee on DEDECT raised concerns over NWPTB’s financial instability, yet Lenkopane failed to intervene and instead misled the public during a radio interview, claiming there was no funding at the NWPTB.
“She dismissed warnings from former Acting CEO, Charlene Jacobs, who had alerted employees and the residents of North West to the looming crisis, accusing Jacobs of being dramatic instead of addressing the issue,” said Steenkamp who added that the board repeatedly ignored accountability calls, with only two members appearing before the Portfolio Committee.
Steenkamp said despite the entity having five acting CEOs in just six months, Lenkopane mocked the crisis on social media instead of taking action.
“Now, in an attempt to shift blame, the MEC claims to be “dismayed” by the salary crisis. Yet, if funds were allocated, where did they go? And if they went missing, why has no one been held accountable? Her sluggish response to this crisis has only deepened financial mismanagement within the NWPTB,” he said.
However, the salaries have since been paid.
In a letter to Lenkopane, NWPTB's acting chief executive officer, Jonathan Denga, confirmed that the salaries were paid on Saturday morning, February 22. Denga said all employees received their salaries.
“With the ongoing employees salary delay crisis and the associated protests we have since experienced in the organisation. I can now happily inform you that the salaries were paid to all employees as planned this morning Saturday, February 22, 2025. Employees have received their salaries,” read the letter.
Contacted for a comment, Lenkopane refused to comment, saying her department will be hosting a media briefing tomorrow (Monday).
In a statement released on February 20, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’s Union (NEHAWU) said it was disgusted by the non-payment of salaries and called on Mokgosi and Lenkopane to urgently and promptly attend to the matter.
The union said any further delay will leave it with no choice but to unreservedly combat “this despicable conduct by the entity through rolling mass demonstrations until the premier addresses the challenges of NWPTB.
“The entity has previously failed to pay workers their salaries after having made numerous commitments and promises which raised high hopes to our members and workers that it would pay salaries.
Lekompane, who is responsible for the entity recently assured the public that there is no crisis in the entity, although she knew very well that the Park Board has been facing a financial crisis for a long time as a result of mismanagement, poor governance and administration,” said the union.
NEHAWU said the entity has had five acting chief executives in a short space of time in less than a year, which demonstrated the crisis that confronts the entity.
The Portfolio Committee DEDECT recently announced that it had resolved to take legal action against the NWPTB chairperson Advocate Matshidiso Mogale and other members for failure to appear and account on the status quo of the entity and delayed salary payments.
The Portfolio Committee chairperson Mpho Khunou said the board previously failed to appear and account in a meeting convened on February 4.
Khunou said the committee was concerned about how the acting chief executive officers were appointed and dismissed in a short period of time without following proper procedures.
“There has been six acting CEOs in the last six months as witnessed with Mr. Jeff Mabunda who acted from 1 October to 31 December 2024; Ms. Charlene Jacobs from 3-24 January 2025; Dr. Goitseone Pholo for less than a month then we heard that on the 18 February 2025, Mr. Jonathan Denga has been appointed to act as well,” said Khunou, adding that it was worrying that the board members failed to appear twice to account on the operations of the dysfunctional entity which has been facing numerous cash flow challenges to pay salaries including for its subsidiaries, creditors and debtors respectively.