SAMSA CEO appointment uncertainty goes unanswered

Cabinet appointment not likely to go ahead

SOUTH AFRICA: It’s been a full five months since a Cabinet statement confirmed the appointment of Captain Rufus Lekala as the new CEO for the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), but reliable sources are now saying that the Captain is no longer going to assume the position in Pretoria.

Rumours that Lekala will not be taking up the position have been circulating in the industry for some time now, but certain sources are claiming that talk within the circles close to the appointed CEO have confirmed that he will not be leaving Transnet National Ports Authority for SAMSA.

Maritime Review Africa reached out to the authority a week ago for clarity on the situation with specific questions relating to whether Captain Lekala was still due to join SAMSA and received the following response today:

“SAMSA acknowledges the interest regarding the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer. An official announcement regarding the CEO position will be forthcoming in due course. Until then, SAMSA remains committed to ensuring business continuity and operational stability, which are crucial for the organisation's ongoing performance and the consistency of its leadership.”

The vague reply all but confirms what the industry suspects. Questions as to why Lekala’s position has changed remain unanswered and when we reached out to him for a statement, he prompted us to direct all enquiries to the Chairman of the Board of SAMSA, adding that he was prohibited from discussing the matter having signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Lack of clarity around COO suspension

Maritime Review also submitted specific questions relating to the recently announced suspension of the Chief Operating Officer, Sobantu Tilayi, but was met with a similar response from the authority:

“SAMSA notes the inquiries concerning the suspension of the Chief Operating Officer. The precautionary suspension of the COO has been implemented to uphold the integrity of SAMSA during the ongoing investigations. This matter remains ongoing, with investigations currently in progress. At this time, we are unable to provide additional comments.”

Maritime Review is aware of escalating frustrations within certain spheres of the industry around SAMSA’s lack of responsiveness to industry needs.

Our editor’s Open Letter to Captain Rufus Lekala hints at some of these concerns and emphasises the need for strong leadership with a clear understanding of the needs of the maritime industry to be identified with some urgency.

That the authority is not able to issue a more informative statement on these essential areas of apprehension continues to be a worry for the industry.