Barely a month after President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe serious maladministration allegations in the Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency, including a R19.2bn tilapia fish farming project on the Wild Coast, the agency is now being hauled to court in a dispute over the placement of its staff into a new organigram.
The Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency has suspended three of its senior executives after the findings of two investigations uncovered allegations of serious wrongdoing in the provincial government entity. CFO Janine Baxter, COO Navy Simukonda and co-operative services executive Cello Gardner were placed on precautionary suspension on Friday pending the finalisation of an investigation into their alleged involvement in mismanagement at the agency.