World News | Former SAfrican President to Lead Nelson Mandela Foundation Amid Probe Against Top Officials

Johannesburg, Jan 25 (PTI) Former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe has been appointed to head an interim leadership structure at the Nelson Mandela Foundation amid probe into allegations of impropriety against the organisation's top officials.

In a letter from a staff of the foundation to board chair Prof Njabulo Ndebele, the organisation's Chief Executive Officer Sello Hatang and Chief Operating Officer Limpho Monyamane have been accused of creating an environment that had become toxic amid bullying, intimidation, procurement irregularities and misuse of corporate credit cards, according to an earlier report by the Sunday Times.

Motlanthe, who served briefly as the country's president after Thabo Mbeki resigned and until Jacob Zuma took over the position in 2009, will be assisted in his task at the foundation by attorney and social justice activist Alice Brown and Maya Makanjee, who serves on the board of several South African corporates.

“The interim leadership structure will oversee the foundation's day-to-day activities and ensure its smooth running until the investigative process has been completed and the board has considered its findings,” the foundation said in a statement.

Hatang and Monyamane have been granted leave while the allegations against them are considered. However, the board emphasised that this should in no way be interpreted as an indication that it has taken any view on the outcome of the investigation.

“As the core custodian of Madiba's legacy, the board is committed to ensuring good governance and ethical leadership in all the foundation's activities.

“Over the years, the governance system within the foundation has proved to be robust. The board is confident that the current investigative process will be beneficial," it said.

“The Foundation takes allegations of such a nature very seriously and is committed to ensuring a fair and proper outcome. Interviews are currently being conducted with management, staff and a small number of service providers to ensure all sides of the story are heard,” it said.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation is a non-profit organisation and educational centre focused on the life and times of the iconic leader who became South Africa's first democratically-elected President in 1994 after 27 years in prison as a political prisoner of the apartheid minority white government.

The building housing the foundation in the elite suburb of Houghton in Johannesburg was funded by the Indian government.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)