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Axed IDT trustees threaten court action

Six axed trustees of the Independent Development Trust (IDT) board have threatened to drag Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi to court if he does not overturn their dismissal.

Nxesi removed board chairperson Nhlanhla Ngubane and his deputy Vukosi Baloyi, both of whom were appointed by his predecessor Nkosinathi Nhleko, as well as Alex Zitha, Siyaduma Biniza, Cynthia Zulu-Kabanyane and Lulama Zitha, who were initially appointed by him in his first stint at the department.

The removals came after he initially sent the entire board letters requesting them to explain why they should not be replaced because of, among other things, canning forensic reports that recommended that they recoup millions of rands for the bankrupt parastatals.

According to a letter from De Swardt Vögel Myambo Attorneys, the six want Nxesi to give a written undertaking to stop his plans to remove them as trustees and not appoint their replacements.

Otherwise the six will launch an urgent application in the high court to interdict him from appointing new trustees.

In prior letters notifying them of their removal, Nxesi said he was not persuaded that their continued stay at the board would improve the declining state of the IDT.

Coincidentally – or not – the law firm used by the six was previously said to have been irregularly procured by the IDT for the investigation into its suspended CEO Coceko Pakade.

The firm opted not to comment and referred the media enquiry to the IDT.

The trust’s spokesperson, Lesego Mashigo, declined to respond to allegations relating to how the firm was procured through a single sourcing method without justification and was not even registered in the database prior to being engaged.

The department of public works did not respond to requests for comment from City Press. 

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