Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana yesterday, Tuesday, 9 October 2007, announced that he has suspended the board and constitution of the Media, Advertising, Print, Packaging and Publishing SETA (MAPPP SETA) and has appointed an administrator to take over the functions of the training authority.
This action comes after more than a year of claims and counter claims of maladministration and corruption.
The MAPPP SETA was established in terms of the Skills Development Act to promote training and development within its economic sector.
However, the ‘creative' side of the SETA did not function well with the more traditional print and packaging arm. Arrangements inherited from the Industry Training Board that predated the SETA were the subject of dispute between stakeholders.
When former civil servant Melanie Bernard-Fryer was appointed as CEO, she promised to deal with the allegations. However, after speaking out against alleged corruption in the organization, she was the subject of death threats. Private security officers had to be employed to protect her and other senior staff. After returning from a period of sick leave, Bernard-Fryer was dismissed by the board of the SETA.
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The advertising and design industry: a profession that appeals to a select creative few, resulting in an exceptionally small pool of resources. While retaining and developing skills is an industry priority, the decision of the Media, Advertising, Print, Packaging and Publishing (MAPPP) SETA to forego its 2008 internship programme is both extremely disappointing and short-sighted - especially in view of the programme's high rate of success...
