The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) has placed outgoing CEO Sello Hatang on special leave and launched an investigation into “serious allegations” against him.
Hatang resigned from the organisation last week after 15 years at its helm, and had begun serving his three-month notice period when he was placed on special leave.
On Friday, foundation chair professor Njabulo Ndebele acknowledged there was “a legal process under way in respect of the CEO” but declined to confirm or deny that he had been suspended.
“We are not in a position to provide any further detail at this stage as the process has not been concluded. Once we are in a position to respond, we will do so,” he said.
However, the Sunday Times is in possession of audio recordings of two NMF staff meetings at which his resignation and suspension were disclosed.
At the second meeting, on Wednesday this week, acting CEO Verne Harris told staff the foundation was “in trouble”.
“The board received certain allegations around [Hatang’s] conduct, and through a number of meetings and processes has decided that Sello should be placed on special leave and that these allegations be looked into by the board,” Harris said, according to the recording.
“What it means is that Sello has been asked not to be in contact with anyone of us. We are in trouble. It’s a critical moment for the organisation, and I think it’s important to say to you that it can’t be business as normal for the organisation.”
Harris asked that staff keep the developments around Hatang under wraps, adding that it was important for the NMF to deal with the matter “robustly, as quickly as we can, so that we understand what we’re dealing with before the world gets to know about it”.
A staff member, whose name is known to the Sunday Times, told the meeting that keeping the developments from the media was not about protecting the foundation but about ensuring the integrity of the process.
“Please allow the process to be fair… What Verne is trying to achieve is to bring you into [his] confidence so that you understand collectively that we have a problem,” she said.
“No-one is saying Sello is guilty, we are saying there is a problem and a process has been activated through external lawyers to ensure that the process is fair, and to determine if there is merit in what is being said.”
No-one is saying Sello is guilty, we are saying there is a problem and a process has been activated through external lawyers to ensure that the process is fair, and to determine if there is merit in what is being said
— Member of NMF staff
Hatang could not be reached for comment.
This is the second time he has been under a cloud. In January 2021 he and COO Limpho Monyamane were accused by whistleblowers of procurement irregularities, Hatang was also accused of the misuse of the NMF credit card.
Both executives were placed on special leave at their own request and an independent investigation by law firm Bowmans cleared them of all charges.
At the time the foundation, which kept the Bowmans report under wraps, said the law firm had recommended that a number of financial and human resources policies and procedures needed to be revised, strengthened and restated to ensure consistency and compliance.
News of Hatang’s suspension comes in the same week that the foundation announced a groundbreaking partnership with Glorious Digital, an international “creative technology studio and marketplace” that specialises in non-fungible tokens (NFTs), to raise $1.9m (about R37m).
The NMF Digital Patronage initiative plans to sell 1,918 lifetime patronages at $1,000 each. Buyers will receive an NFT of a “unique digital artwork” to display.
The programme is backed by 27 celebrity ambassadors — matching the number of years Mandela spent in jail — such as Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Naomi Campbell, Denzel Washington and Alfre Woodard.
“Each of the 1,918 founding memberships provides an opportunity to participate in one of the most formidable legacy projects of all time: keeping the spirit, memory, dialogue and humanitarian work of Mandela alive,” the NMF said in a statement.
Hatang was quoted as saying: “The NMF is constantly exploring innovative ways to reach a greater breadth of supporters. By using emerging technology, the foundation can further unite supporters globally. Attracting new partners helps the foundation continue its work at a time when the world needs to be reminded about the legacy of Madiba.”
According to the recording of this week’s staff meeting, Monyamane — who has also resigned — will remain for three months to help “stabilise” the organisation.
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