The Estate Agency Affairs Board will no longer discuss the firing of its CEO as she is taking them to court, it said on Wednesday.
"Since Mrs Mapetla has, however, launched an urgent application claiming certain relief from the South Gauteng High Court, this matter is now regarded as sub judice," the board said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the board said Nomonde Mapetla's employment contract had been terminated immediately "due to an irreconcilable breakdown in the working relationship between the parties".
Mapetla's contract was due to expire on July 15.
The board said on Wednesday it would "refrain from making, or responding to, any further media statements in this regard until such time, Tuesday the 8th March 2011, the matter has been adjudicated by the Court".
Deloitte has been appointed to undertake a forensic investigation into all operational and governance issues affecting the organisation "as is usual under circumstances of this nature", the board said.
"The board, in the light of recent events, also intends to draft and adopt a transparent policy pertaining especially to its inspection and investigation activities.
"The proposed policy will, thereafter, be published on the EAAB website for the information of all stakeholders."
Mapetla was suspended on February 17. Staff were told that she had been placed on special leave for four weeks and an investigation into her conduct would be launched.
The suspension came just days after Mapetla ordered an investigation into Lew Geffen Estates.
Lew Geffen said "neither he nor the company" was notified that such an investigation was even contemplated. - Sapa
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Whether or not Mrs Mapetla is found guilty of misconduct, and whether or not the various estate agencies that the Estate Agency Affairs Board is auditing are indeed candidates for such audits - the Estate Agency Affairs Board itself should be subjected to a full audit by an independent body. Just one area that needs auditing for example is the licensing division: the Board is holding large amounts of money in Fidelity Fund Certificate payments that have been paid by agents once, twice, sometimes even three times, without their ever issuing the required FFCs. There are hundreds of agents out there who are "unlicensed" and therefore technically operating "illegally" despite their best efforts to renew their Fidelity Fund Certificates. The Board is a shambles. I also take exception to Mrs Mapetla's statement and its inferences that the Board was "too white" and I question her rapid replacement of the pale-faced members with black board members to the point that the Board is now, according to Mrs Mapetla "90% black". We live in a democracy, or so I thought, and appointments to this or any other position are - or should be - made on merit. Nowhere did she mention that she has replaced white board members with black board members who are better qualified to do their jobs. I venture to state that the buddy system applies as much now, as (according to Mrs Mapetla) in the previous regime. - Helene
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