Tourism DG Tharage believes bullying claims against him linked to action he took against some staffers

JOHANNESBURG - Tourism Department Director-General Victor Tharage believes recent allegations of bullying against him could be linked to steps he’s taken to address more than R100 million’s worth of fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

The City Press recently reported that Tharage had been accused of intimidating senior staffers and, in particular women, resulting in a string of resignations.

But he told EWN that this was not the case.

Tharage believes that at the heart of the allegations against him is disciplinary action that was instituted against some staffers following forensic investigations and his stance on accountability and consequence management.

"We are talking here about money which is deemed to be fruitless and wasteful in those particular projects to the tune of more than R100 million."

He said that two of the cases were initially dismissed under what he described as "questionable circumstances" on the basis that the alleged transgressions dated back several years but that based on legal advice, he has approached the courts to review those decisions and a date for hearing is yet to be set. 

"If I had left the first two cases the way they were, they would have been deemed to be material irregularities, which would have meant that I would have been deemed to have assisted in some form of miscarriage of justice."

Tharage said Parliament was appraised of these matters and that he had referred them to the Hawks to investigate possible criminal offences, as well as the State Attorney to look into instituting civil action and that he’d been advised that one matter was now before the courts.