Brain drain hits Eastern Cape

2007-08-16 19:10

Johannesburg - A massive exodus of professional staff has hit the Eastern Cape department of public works, Dispatch Online reported on Thursday.

Senior officials said this had led to schools and clinics not being built and the maintenance and improvement of many government buildings grinding to a halt.

The Daily Dispatch confirmed that at least 16 professional senior managers and core middle managers with degrees in engineering, architecture, quantity surveying and town planning had quit in the past three years.

Many did so because of what they described as "bad administration".

Senior managers in the department blame, among others, public works MEC Christian Martin, for not heeding warnings that his department was collapsing because of unprofessional behaviour.

Impossible to provide services

Senior staff said in letters and internal memos more than two years ago that it had become impossible to provide professional services to client departments.

As proof they produced a memo written to Martin in July 2005 detailing the ills in his department and signed by more than 10 of the province's top building professionals.

Further details were provided in letters of resignation, of which the Dispatch has copies.

To one of these, Martin responded with an SMS "to the effect that we must remember life is full of hardships", the former employee said.

Premier Nosimo Balindlela recently unveiled a R1bn plan to use unskilled local communities to build, upgrade and maintain rural roads, schools, healthcare networks and other vital services.

Vacant provincial government posts would be filled by the end of September, she said after a three day government executive committee lekgotla.

- SAPA