Dismissed SA Institute of Professional Accountants (Saipa) CEO Shahied Daniels, has claimed that the Saipa board contravened the body’s constitution and breached governance – vowing to challenge his removal.
Regarded as one of the foremost accounting institutes in South Africa, serving thousands of members, the Saipa website describes the organisation as “actively advocating and promoting ethical and responsible behaviour within the profession, in order to retain public trust and confidence”.
But Daniels has levelled serious allegations against the Saipa board.
In an open letter entitled Truth vs False and Misleading Narratives, Daniels said his legal team “has been fully apprised of the situation and is reviewing the entire matter”.
“Both the disciplinary process and the dismissal itself, will be challenged,” he said. Allegations raised by Daniels include:
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“I was made aware of several professional conduct cases, filed against board members who are also Saipa members,” Daniels said.
“Of the nine non-executive directors on the Saipa board, seven are members of Saipa, thus subject to its professional conduct oversight.
“Despite these complaints, the whistleblowing process in Saipa has been severely compromised. This failure has undermined the integrity of the process and has allowed serious allegations to go unaddressed.
“Since my suspension, several Saipa staff members, have confidentially contacted me to express concerns about the toxic work environment – intimidation, bullying and heavy handedness under the acting CEO and COE.
“Three staff members filed grievances with the chairperson of the board, but to date none of these grievances have received a response.
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“Three senior staff members have resigned, citing harassment and mistreatment, as well citing an impact on their mental health as the primary reasons for their departure.”
Commenting on the Daniels dismissal, Saipa chairperson Prem Govender said Daniels faced six charges of misconduct, which included:
Govender said: “The process took careful consideration of the rights of Daniels, his responses to the charges as well as the board’s commitment to good and clean governance, transparency and accountability.
“After considering the outcomes of a disciplinary process by an independent chairperson, receiving legal advice and ensuring that the process had been conducted fairly and without prejudice, the board of Saipa resolved that the CEO should be dismissed with immediate effect,” Govender said. dismiss
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