The Cape Argus has filed an application to get the full story behind the parting of ways of CapeNature and senior official Nazeem Jamie.
|||Cape Town - The Cape Argus has filed a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application in an attempt to get the full story behind the parting of ways of the province’s nature conservation authority CapeNature and its senior official, Nazeem Jamie.
Jamie, who has previously been acting chief executive of the organisation but who at the time of his departure was the human resources director, left in mid-February under a confidential “termination agreement”.
He had been suspended with immediate effect at the end of July last year after a forensic investigation by auditing company Deloitte & Touche had allegedly revealed that he had been conducting unauthorised business outside his official work for CapeNature and while still on a formal warning from the organisation for a previous misdemeanour.
This had reportedly included work for Edward Beeka, the head of a security company and the brother of slain security boss Cyril Beeka, and involvement in a vehicle hiring company, Soho Management Services.
He was suspended on a “precautionary” basis on full pay of R62 000 a month, pending a disciplinary hearing.
In response to queries by the newspaper, acting chief executive Dr Kas Hamman confirmed that Jamie had left CapeNature with effect from February 15 and that a termination agreement had been reached.
“The terms of the termination agreement will not be disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement,” Hamman said.
He also confirmed that the disciplinary hearing had been concluded, but declined to give details of what Jamie had been charged with or what the outcome had been, again citing the confidentiality agreement.
According to a source, who asked not to be named, there is concern among some staff members that Jamie has been given a “golden handshake”, but this has not been confirmed.
The Cape Argus is asking for a copy of the Deloitte & Touche report; a copy of the findings and recommendations by the chairman of the disciplinary committee; and a copy of the termination agreement.
At the time of going to press, Jamie had not responded to a voicemail left on his cellphone requesting comment about the matter.
john.yeld@inl.co.za
Cape Argus