Decay in the Ranks. Legal Firm Pushes the Envelope

Why should Cape Town legal firm, B Xulu & Partners Inc, not pay back the money to the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries? The company has only a few weeks to come up with the reasons for not doing so even though the Cape High Court says it must.

B Xulu & Partners Inc. is claiming about R20 million for legal services rendered to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. It transpires however that the service agreement it signed with the Department was in fact invalid. When the company never got the money it had billed, it negotiated a settlement agreement with the Department. This too was invalid.

The state of affairs of the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has been reported about extensively. The commercial fishing industry and the public at large are familiar with the many claims of corruption in the department. Some of the problems were ironed out in the Cape High Court recently, specifically the role and responsibility of senior members of staff, legal companies involved, and where the buck stops.

At the heart of the matter is the power-play relationship between the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, the Director General (DG) and Deputy Director General (DDG). It is also about the influence these individuals have on decision making processes, good or bad.