USAASA close to hiring CEO

By Nicola Mawson for USAASA

Johannesburg, 01 Sep 2009

The Universal Service and Access Agency of SA (USAASA) aims to appoint a new CEO by month-end.

USAASA chairperson Cassandra Gabriel says the agency is short-listing candidates this week. About 150 applications were received and - of these - about five people will be interviewed for the post, she adds.

An appointment is expected to be made within the next three weeks. However, Gabriel could not indicate when the new head of the agency is expected to start, as this depends on his or her notice period.

The position became officially vacant when former CEO James Theledi's appeal against charges of sexual harassment was rejected. He was axed by the agency in March.

Theledi was suspended by the agency after being found guilty, during an internal disciplinary process, of sexual harassment. This related to an incident that occurred at the Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development meeting, held last September.

Winile Lamani, the agency's operational head, has been acting as CEO for the past five months.

The new CEO can expect a salary package of about R900 000 per year. Gabriel says this is probably lower than equivalent salaries in the private sector.

She points out that cost savings remain important and the new CEO, unlike the former one, can only expect to fly economy class.