Vika Mpisane, suspended CEO of the .ZA Domain Name Authority (.ZADNA), “adopted delay tactics” to prolong the disciplinary committee’s investigation into his matter.
This is according to .ZADNA board chairperson advocate Motlatjo Ralefatane, speaking to ITWeb about Mpisane’s lengthy suspension, which came into effect on 5 December 2018.
“The suspension stems from matters that are still under the scrutiny of the disciplinary process. We are expecting to receive the outcome thereof on 21 June 2019, as advised by the chairperson of the disciplinary committee.”
.ZADNA is an entity of the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services that manages and regulates the .za namespace, including domains like co.za, net.za, org.za and Web.za.
Mpisane joined .ZADNA as its GM in April 2006, and was tasked with setting up its operations. In October 2013, he became CEO.
The disciplinary hearing into his matter was initiated in January. When asked why the investigation has taken almost five months, without a verdict being delivered, Ralefatane said Mpisane tried every trick in the book to prolong the disciplinary process, while receiving his monthly salary from home.
“The reason this has taken so long is because Mr Mpisane has had to hire a new legal team after his first team pulled out. The team was initially pleading for a settlement amount of around R1.6 million, which was not accepted by the board.
“He then went to the CCMA to stop the disciplinary proceedings, but he was unsuccessful. He took a long break and only appointed the second legal team after we pressured him about our intention to conclude this issue as soon as possible.
“His delay tactics are a very bad practice because he has been receiving a salary at home, while we have been fighting to conclude this matter.”
Ralefatane confirmed the disciplinary hearing has been concluded, with the committee submitting a 300-page document detailing the undisclosed matter. Mpisane’s legal team has been given until next week to submit their closing arguments.
According to .ZADNA’s Web site, Mpisane has served in various local, regional and international Internet governance structures, through his association with ZADNA.
He also led South African and African Internet community efforts to have the African Union Commission endorse ZACR's application to ICANN for the right to launch .Africa, which was eventually established in 2017.
Current operations manager Peter Madavhu has taken over as acting CEO of .ZADNA, notes Ralefatane.
ITWeb made numerous attempts to contact Mpisane for comment, but had not received a reply by the time of publication.
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