The internal turmoil at Black Management Forum (BMF) is intensifying after suspended president, Dr Sibongile -Vilakazi, took the organisation’s board members to court to challenge her suspension.
In the court papers she filed in the Joburg high court, Vilakazi said her suspension is unlawful and motivated by ulterior motives.
“Firstly, the board is not empowered to suspend any director or member of the organisation but rather to call for a national disciplinary committee to investigate and recommend to the board,” she argued.
Vilakazi approached the court after BMF suspended her last month, following allegations which surfaced last year, that she was moonlighting at the Wits Business School.
Vilakazi was served with a notice of disciplinary hearing on January 19 for the hearing that was scheduled to be held on February 13, however, she said the hearing was postponed as the board had stated it was not ready to prosecute her.
“In reality the hearing had little to do with misconduct but more to do with me standing in the way of many rogue and delinquent elements in the organisation,”.Vilakazi added.
Vilakazi also requests the court to declare BMF’s 10 board members delinquent directors. She also demands that the board members be suspended as board of directors for both BMF and BMF Investment Company.
Vilakazi also demands that Thulani Mlangeni, Papama Mnqandi, Mosebetsi Dhladhla, Farah Stevens, Mpho Motsei, Mawela Ndlamlenze, Gabankitse Louw, Khanyo Ngwenya, Kutlwano Dikgwatlhe and the acting BMF president Lilly Moabi, be interdicted from working as directors of any other company.
In the statement issued on Wednesday, BMF managing director Monde Ndlovu, said it had acknowledged recent developments concerning legal action initiated by Vilakazi after being suspended by the organisation.
“Given that this matter is now sub judice, we are constrained in the level of detail we can provide. However, it is imperative to clarify that throughout this process, Dr Vilakazi has retained her rights as a member.”
In her founding affidavit, Vilakazi stated that on May 27, 2023, she convened her first strategic meeting of the board, to present a strategy and a vision for the organisation.
“My view was that as a president, I needed to develop governance structure regulating the relationship between BMF and BMF Investment Company (BMFi), in terms of accountability of the shareholder representatives, considering there were no such structures in place at the time.
“Subsequently to this meeting, it seems the five replacement directors had a change of heart and suddenly made it clear they are not prepared to relinquish their fee-earning directorship at BMF board, this on spurious basis that, a certain board meeting sat on 21 December 2022 and supposedly resolved that their deployment at the BMFi board was not temporal (sic) but permanent, this in order for them to clean up the BMFi.”
She added the sudden change of heart from the said directors was motivated by the fact that those directors were in BMF and BMFi for financial gain, not to build the two organisations.
Vilakazi said Motsei-, who is the 7th respondent, convened a special virtual BMF board meeting without her authorisation on August 21 last year.
She stated that, to her dismay, the same meeting was chaired by Moabi, and was attended by some directors.
“During this meeting, a resolution was taken to remove from the BMF board, Sigqibo Mfuywa (an ex-officio director deployed by Gauteng) pending an investigation into the legitimacy or otherwise of his authority to represent Gauteng province.
“This was all on basis of untested allegations or rumours by one of the board members that he was improperly nominated as provincial chairperson,” reads her affidavit.
