Santa is sick - Troubled NGO in legal battle
THE South African National Tuberculosis Association (Santa) employees country-wide have not been paid for four months.
PAY US: Legal adviser David Feldman speaks to staff. Picture supplied by Clint DixonThe bank accounts of the organisation have been frozen
They have also been intimidated and assaulted for siding with one of two warring parties in an internal dispute.
This is as a result of a legal dispute between the steering committee and the management committee, which reports directly to the Santa executive board.
The Santa board, under the leadership of national chairperson Sipho Tanana, has charged the steering committee with maladministration, corruption, fraud and assaulting staff members.
Sunday World has in its possession documents submitted to the police with photographs of injured staff members.
CEO Sateesh Isseri, who was appointed last year to revitalise the organisation, tells Sunday World that when he took over Santa's business management, he discovered misappropriation and mismanagement of funds by some members of the steering committee.
Santa communication manager Clint Dixon says that, as a result of the dispute, "the bank accounts of the organisation have been frozen". A consequent failure to meet office rental obligations has led to the closing of most offices.
Santa employees countrywide have not been paid for four months and the staff of about 80 at its Parktown, Jozi, headquarters no longer report for work.
Dixon says: "We made an application for staff salaries to be paid in November, but that was not granted."
Also caught in the crossfire are Santa's TB patients, who are not receiving medical care. Isseri says most staff no longer report to work and the TB clinics have ceased operating.
The underlying difficulties are:
Court documents state that the steering committee is not legitimate in terms of the Santa constitution and has no right to make business decisions.
As for corruption and maladministration, Isseri says when he joined Santa last January he conducted an audit of Santa's finances and found three trust funds belonging to Santa that the NGO was not aware of.
The TB Prevention Trust has R14m, the Viva Trust R34m and the Christmas Stamp Trust R1,6bn.
The report also reflects that some members of the steering committee are also members of the three trusts.
Says Isseri: "These trusts were formed before 1994 ... but the Santa board was not aware of this as the steering committee never declared the trusts funds."
The board wants to take over the trust funds but the steering committee will not budge. The matter has been taken to court.
The Santa board also alleges that the accused steering committee members enlisted a "mob" to threaten and assault staff members not to give evidence in any of the forensic investigations undertaken against the steering committee.
Bedfordview police communication officer Mduduzi Nhlabathi confirms a case of intimidation and assault has been opened by the Santa staff members and the matter is under investigation.
When called for comment, the steering committee's legal adivsor David Feldman, referred us to steering committee member Violet Motlhotlhong, but her phone was always on voice-mail and she didn't return our calls.
aprila@sundayworld.co.za
