The Central Energy Fund (CEF) is under fire for earmarking a candidate with a “negative credit record” for the position of PetroSA CEO.
CEF short-listed acting PetroSA board chairperson Nkululeko Poya for the cushy job after a process that certain quarters allege was marred by irregularities.
Poya as well as acting PetroSA CEO Sandisiwe Ncemane are two candidates who have raised discontent for being shortlisted ahead of allegedly better qualified candidates.
Ncemane was shortlisted for both the CEO and the chief operating officer positions.
Sunday World has seen a State Security Agency pre-employment screening document that flagged Poya for having a “negative credit record”, rendering him unqualified and ineligible to be shortlisted for the plum job.
According to insiders, the CEF tailor-made the specifications for potential candidates to favour the duo.
Our informants insist that a highly qualified candidate who knows the petroleum space inside out, Bongani Sayidini, had been among those who fell by the wayside for not having the political backing that Poya and Ncemane apparently have.
Among qualifications that Sayidini possesses include an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of London, LLM in Petroleum Law and Policy from the University of Dundee in Scotland, and MBA from UCT. Sayidiniis also doing the final year of his PhD in Oil and Gas Law at UCT.
Poya’s highest qualification listed in his CV is an MBA.
“Bongani Sayidini is a former acting CEO and has been at PetroSA for many years. He applied for the current vacancy but was not shortlisted despite being ten times more qualified than Poya and Ncemane, who were both shortlisted,” said the source.
But CEF corporate affairs manager Jacky Mashapu poured cold water on the allegations. He claimed Poya was a victim of “fighting corruption”.
“It is interesting that these faceless people have omitted not to share the great strides that the current Acting CEO of PetroSA [Ncemane] has achieved in the last two fiscal years.
“What is notable is the fact that since the R14-billion financial loss that PetroSA suffered, PetroSA will for the first time since 2014 [record] a R2, 4-billion profit under the current leadership,” said Mashapu.
Poya allegedly left his previous employment at the Housing Development Agency when he was being investigated and also faced criminal allegations while at the South African Railway Safety Regulator.
Mashapu said both the Special Investigating Unit and the Public Protector confirmed there were no pending investigations against Poya.
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