| Dear NAHF Stakeholders,
See here the response:
RESPONSE TO MISLEADING STATEMENTS REGARDING THE REASONS FOR THE TERMINATION OF THE OBP CEO EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT INCLUDING THAT OF THE MANAGER IN THE CEO’S OFFICE.
Several false statements have been made by the current Board of OBP on the reasons and outcome of my and Ms. Mabena suspension, disciplinary process and outcome that let to the termination of our contracts as CEO and Manager in the Office of the CEO respectively.
During the debate on SONA 2022, the Minister of DALRRD, the Honourable Thoko Didiza stated that my departure at OBP was linked to the GMP project, which is the facility upgrade project at OBP, for which the organisation received in 2014 close to R500m.
I have communicated with the Minister’s office to clarify the fact that none of the charges against me had to do with the project, which was initiated before my time at OBP, and which I brought to the attention of the AG for proper audit when I became CEO in 2019.
It is therefore incorrect to state that the termination of my contract was linked to the GMP project. Ms Mabena and I were suspended from duty in May 2021, on various allegations of which none was linked to the OBP facility upgrade project, commonly referred to as GMP project.
I was suspended and put through a disciplinary process with 16 charges, none of which had to do with the GMP project, but rather based on issues that were already dealt with by the previous board, including matters that were approved by them.
The Presiding Officer of the disciplinary enquiry dismissed 13 of the charges and the remaining 3, which were clearly on matters cleared or approved by the previous board, were the basis of the termination of my contract.
The matter is now a subject of an unfair dismissal dispute with the Commission of Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (“CCMA”).
Ms Mabena was initially charged with 6 counts of misconduct and ultimately found guilty on only one count of misconduct.
With regards to the Press release issued by the Board of OBP on this 17 February 2022, it is surprising that our suspension, disciplinary process and termination of contract are being linked to “procurement irregularities”. As stated earlier I was issued 16 charges, 13 of which were dismissed and none of the remaining 3 were linked to any procurement irregularities.
Ms Mabena was also not found guilty of any procurement irregularities. As stated earlier our dismissals are a subject of an unfair dismissal dispute at the CCMA.
I would like to further specify the fact that I am the one, upon the commencement of my employment as OBP CEO in March 2019, who brought up serious technical and financial concerns around the GMP project and brought it to the attention of the Auditor general (AG),This was after I noticed that the project for some strange reasons was never audited by the AG during the normal year-end audit process. Subsequently the AG recommended a forensic audit, which I commissioned after approval by the then Board.
With a technically strong team that I brought to OBP (including people with very scarce skills), we corrected the wrongs of the GMP project with a solid plan, part of a GMP roadmap for OBP. My suspension by the newly appointed Board had an effect of destabilising OBP as all the members of the team working on the GMP project ended up resigning. This has also led to the current outcry caused by vaccine unavailability.
I am shocked and distressed by the bold statements linking Ms. Mabena and me to the mismanagement of the GMP project or any procurement irregularities.
Not only are these statements incorrect, malicious and misleading but had also cast negative and harmful aspersions on our professional reputations.
Lastly, please be advised that under my leadership, OBP achieved the best sales revenue in its history, and was already effectively addressing product unavailability issues, while improving its product portfolio and initiating for the first time an effective plan toward GMP, which is a non-negotiable requirement for vaccine manufacturing in South Africa and globally.
Dr. Baptiste DUNGU DVM PhD (signed)
Ms. Lindiwe MABENA (signed) |
