A new CEO will be appointed to South African National Parks (SANParks) by the end of November, according to Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy.
The previous CEO of the parks authority, Fundisile Mketeni, was sacked in June this year after being found guilty of six internal disciplinary charges related to assault and sexual harassment.
Following the assault and sexual assault complaints laid against him on May 7, 2021, in Skukuza, Kruger National Park, Mketeni took special leave (with immediate effect) as he awaited the verdict in his court case.
Although he was eventually acquitted of sexual assault and assault charges in the Bushbuckridge Magistrates Court in October last year, the SANParks Board found Mketeni guilty of six of the seven internal charges levelled against him based on his having breached the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct Policy and the Disciplinary Policy and Procedure of SANParks.
In the interim, the role of Acting CEO was filled by, amongst others, Luthando Dziba and Dumisani Dlamini.
Hapiloe Sello is the current Acting CEO of SANParks.
Written responses
In written responses to parliamentary questions from Democratic Alliance MP David Bryant, Creecy said her Department was sorting through 56 applications for the position, after the advertisement closed on August 26.
“The plan is to finalise the recruitment process by the end of November. The applicants are from Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, the North West, Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal,” said Creecy.
Mketeni had been at the helm of SANParks since 2014.
