Almost two weeks have passed since it was revealed that Sentech's CEO had quit after facing disciplinary charges, yet the organisation has not provided any clarity to the media as to what is going on.
Media reports indicate that Sentech is without a CEO, after acting CEO Beverly Ngwenya resigned during the week after disciplinary charges that included gross negligence and reckless spending were filed against her and CFO Mohammed Cassim.
Subsequently, it was reported that a three-party team had been installed to head up Sentech. Acting COO Dingane Dube is apparently heading up the company, supported by GM for operations and maintenance Maxwell Nonge, and GM for financial management Jayselan Coopsamy.
No answers
However, despite the media reports, Sentech is mum on what is actually going on. ITWeb asked Polly Modiko, head of corporate communications, whether the reports were accurate, and if there was a way forward for the parastatal.
Modiko's response was that questions had been sent to the board to be answered. However, despite several days of repeated questioning, Modiko has not provided a response, and insists she is the only person at Sentech with authority to talk to the media.
Rikhotso told ITWeb that Sentech has a responsibility to execute a service. The company provides signals to the country's terrestrial broadcasters. He said - the day after the Sunday report - that the parastatal was implementing a turnaround strategy and Nyanda was keen to see Sentech becoming financially sound again.
More trouble?
Sentech has been troubled by financial woes and weak leadership, and a new board was installed in April to fix the state-owned entity. On 1 April, Sentech issued a statement welcoming the new board.
The directors were appointed for a period of three years after the sudden resignation of Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane, who left amid a highly controversial report damning the state-owned business's leadership struggles. Her tenure at the company was expected to last another six months.
Mokone-Matabane is the latest top person to leave the state-owned enterprise, as Yvonne Muthien, Deenadayalen Konar and Tau Mashigo all resigned from the board since the start of the year.
A recent report submitted to the Department of Communications found the leadership of the company “weak” and the company itself in a “financially thorny position”, and recommended that it needed to be turned around urgently. National Treasury officials have referred to Sentech as government's “trouble child”.
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