News / National
NIEEB did not celebrate Kasukuwere's departure
20 Sep 2013 at 09:29hrs | Views
THE National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB) CEO Wilson Gwatiringa says there were no celebrations at the organisation prompted by the removal of Saviour Kasukuwere from the Indigenisation portfolio as reported last week.
President Robert Mugabe replaced Kasukuwere with Francis Nhema and workers said they celebrated the move.
But in a letter to the Zimbabwe Independent, Gwatiringa angrily claimed the article was unethical as NIEEB did not celebrate.
"It was not only unethical for your paper to publish such a story whose source is not known, but also malicious in the extreme," he said.
"The correct position is that there was no tension or acrimony between NIEEB and Kasukuwere. The organisation and its employees worked very well with the minister and his team with no clashes or animosity as claimed in your story. It is therefore inconceivable how your paper ended up with such a blatantly false story as a news item."
However, despite the denial, some employees insisted this week there was joy and relief at the news of Kasukuwere's exit as workers resented his bossy management style.
Last week there were reports that the removal of Saviour Kasukuwere from the Indigenisation ministry torched celebrations at the National Indigenisation Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB) by employees who detested his abrasive management style.
Kasukuwere was reassigned to head the new Water Resources, Environment and Climate ministry. Former Environment minister Francis Nhema has taken over the Indigenisation ministry.
A NIEEB staffer said there were ecstatic celebrations when news of Kasukuwere's removal filtered through. The employees' acrimony towards Kasukuwere, the staffer alleged, was a result of the constant harassment they suffered at his hands.
They also resented consultants Kasukuwere deployed at the board as they bossed everybody around. Such was their resentment of the minister that some employees claim they resorted to fasting and praying that Kasukuwere would not be reappointed to the ministry in the new cabinet.
"Working with Kasukuwere was very difficult," said a relieved staffer.
"We were very depressed. If it were not for the high unemployment rate, we would have quit our jobs. Some of us started prayer and fasting sessions before the president announced his cabinet for Kasukuwere not to come back (to the ministry)."
The NIEEB employees also described Kasukuwere as "combative and excitable".
The minister was involved in several confrontations during his tenure as Indigenisation minister, with the most notable being his fallout with Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono over company seizures.
President Robert Mugabe replaced Kasukuwere with Francis Nhema and workers said they celebrated the move.
But in a letter to the Zimbabwe Independent, Gwatiringa angrily claimed the article was unethical as NIEEB did not celebrate.
"It was not only unethical for your paper to publish such a story whose source is not known, but also malicious in the extreme," he said.
"The correct position is that there was no tension or acrimony between NIEEB and Kasukuwere. The organisation and its employees worked very well with the minister and his team with no clashes or animosity as claimed in your story. It is therefore inconceivable how your paper ended up with such a blatantly false story as a news item."
However, despite the denial, some employees insisted this week there was joy and relief at the news of Kasukuwere's exit as workers resented his bossy management style.
Last week there were reports that the removal of Saviour Kasukuwere from the Indigenisation ministry torched celebrations at the National Indigenisation Economic Empowerment Board (NIEEB) by employees who detested his abrasive management style.
A NIEEB staffer said there were ecstatic celebrations when news of Kasukuwere's removal filtered through. The employees' acrimony towards Kasukuwere, the staffer alleged, was a result of the constant harassment they suffered at his hands.
They also resented consultants Kasukuwere deployed at the board as they bossed everybody around. Such was their resentment of the minister that some employees claim they resorted to fasting and praying that Kasukuwere would not be reappointed to the ministry in the new cabinet.
"Working with Kasukuwere was very difficult," said a relieved staffer.
"We were very depressed. If it were not for the high unemployment rate, we would have quit our jobs. Some of us started prayer and fasting sessions before the president announced his cabinet for Kasukuwere not to come back (to the ministry)."
The NIEEB employees also described Kasukuwere as "combative and excitable".
The minister was involved in several confrontations during his tenure as Indigenisation minister, with the most notable being his fallout with Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono over company seizures.
Source - independent
