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The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) is planning to axe more than half its senior management team to cut down its salary bill.
But an employee says this is a purge of staff members not aligned to the Young Communist League (YCL).
Earlier this month, it was revealed in the National Assembly that the NYDA had been allocated R409.8 million in the 2015/16 financial year, yet it was going to spend R186 million on salaries. This is about 40% of its total grant from the National Treasury.
City Press has seen a letter to staff, dated May 18, which details how the agency will restructure itself and possibly reduce its staff.
“It is with considerable regret that the organisation finds itself in a position where downsizing of its workforce is necessary, which in turn will render the positions of certain employees redundant ... dismissals are a last resort...” it says.
The letter also says there will be voluntary severance packages and management will try to avoid compulsory retrenchments by redeploying staff where possible.
The letter says the agency employs 445 employees.
Of these, the following positions might be affected:
. Three positions at executive management level;
. 24 positions at senior management level; and
. 33 positions at manager level.
The letter also says there is a possibility of future re-employment of retrenched employees after six months.
“Should suitable positions become vacant within a period of six months from the termination date, the organisation will notify by post ... the employee. The normal recruitment process will, however, be applicable in these instances,” reads the letter, which is signed off by CEO Khathutshelo Ramukumba.
But a market linkage specialist at the NYDA, Lawrence Ntlokoa, has threatened to take the agency to court to stop the planned job cuts.
In court papers prepared by his legal representatives to challenge the move, Ntlokoa, who has been suspended for bringing the agency into disrepute, describes the planned retrenchments as a ploy by NYDA chairperson Yershen Pillay “to hire his own people from the Young Communist League”.
“It is obvious that the second respondent [Pillay] wants to employ more members of his own party but all the jobs have been taken, the proposal to restructure the NYDA ... in order to create space for cadres of the party,” reads his affidavit.
But the agency denies it will be recruiting new people to fill posts. NYDA spokesperson Siyabonga Magadla said there would be no new positions because this was a downsizing process aimed at reducing the senior management team from 108 to 47.
“Furthermore, the NYDA board and CEO have taken a decision that only incumbent senior managers will be allowed to apply for any vacant positions that emerge once the process begins.
“It therefore makes no sense to assume that officials of any political party will be given an opportunity to apply as all posts will only be open to those already employed in the NYDA,” he said.
The NYDA, a brainchild of the ANC Youth League, was created after the merger of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission. But it has been plagued by problems since its inception.
It is a contested body among factions of the youth league and the YCL as it is seen as a vehicle for wealth accumulation.
The agency was mired in controversy in 2011 when it spent more than R106 million on a youth festival dubbed the “kissing festival” after delegates were seen in parking lots playing kissing games while waiting for sessions to begin.
It also spent millions budgeted for the festival on balloons, confetti, musicians, poets, backpacks, caps, golf shirts, bottled water and a tombstone.
This led to calls for it to be shut down.
Buti Manamela, deputy minister in the presidency, and a former national secretary of the YCL is now the executive responsible for its oversight.
Pillay is a former chairperson of the YCL.
Employees were informed that the agency would also:
. Place a moratorium on new recruitments;
. Terminate the services of all temporary employees; and
. Encourage older employees to take early retirement.
