ANNUAL
REPORT 2000
WORDS
FROM THE CHAIRPERSON
The
year 2000 has seen the organisation continue to grow in
size and we believe in the quality of work being carried
out. The establishment of the Land Rights Legal Unit with
three staff and the opening of an office in Gauteng shows
Nkuzi s ability and willingness to take new initiatives
to respond to the needs of the rural poor. The organisation
now has twenty full time staff and four full time volunteers
working for it.
The
growth of the organisation and the new areas of work being
taken on have been challenging to the management of the
organisation. As the Board we have been happy to see this
challenge being responded to with the development of new
management and leadership in the organisation including
the appointment of a Deputy Director and a Finance and Administration
Manager. Without taking away from the excellent work of
the Executive Director the development of a broader leadership
group within the organisation can only contribute to its
strength and sustainability.
The
challenge of the growing organisation also impacts on the
Board. When looking at the annual plans and budget for the
organisation the Board Members were struck by the burden
of responsibility that this places on them. Nkuzi is no
longer a small Northern Province NGO. It has become one
of the largest NGOs in the Province, has arguably the highest
public profile and also has a national presence and impact.
All of this requires effective governance and Board Members
who understand and take seriously their responsibilities.
Two
Board Members left the Board during the year due to changed
circumstances which made it difficult for them to continue
to participate. This included the previous Chairperson.
Three new Board Members have joined to strengthen the Board
and fill the gap left by those who departed. The Board has
continued to meet quarterly dealing with policy issues and
oversight of the work of the organisation. Board Members
have also participated in the annual planning event of the
organisation and been available to advise management when
needed. Important policy issues have included the adoption
of a finance policy and procedures document and the amendment
of the conditions of employment document.
The
progress of land reform has continued to be painfully slow
in bringing about a changed political and economic geography
in our country. However the settlement of the Pheeha claim
and the designation of some redistribution projects that
Nkuzi is working with are positive achievements and signs
of hope for the future. Nkuzi has to not only criticise
government, but continually look at its own operations to
ensure that it is doing whatever is possible to see progress
in this difficult area of work. At the same time Nkuzi will
have continue to tread a difficult course of trying to maintain
co-operation with the government in land reform implementation
while responding to the frustrations felt by communities
and speaking honestly about the real problems which are
there. The fostered relationship between Nkuzi and other
organisations, such as the NGO Coalition and the National
Land Committee, indicates the value attached to networking
and the concerted effort needed in attending to the many
problems that our communities are faced with.
There
are serious challenges that Nkuzi is faced with in its operations.
The negative perceptions in other establishments lead to
occasional harassment of our staff, the arrest of Shirinda
being a case in point. The challenges of this harassment
add to our resolve and determination to see to the just
implementation of land reform and land restitution.
I
would like to note a positive aspect of Nkuzi s work that
can get overlooked when talking of its achievements and
that is the area of human resource development. Nkuzi has
employed a number of staff with little or no previous experience
and has assisted them to become experts in their field of
work. Nkuzi has actively built a management team from staff
who for the most part had no previous management experience.
Nkuzi has also continued to take in volunteers, often young
graduates with no previous work experience, for six months
to gain experience and assist the organisation. To date
Nkuzi has had fifteen people taking advantage of this, ten
of them on finishing their time with Nkuzi got jobs, six
of these jobs in the land sector with government or NGOs.
I
would like to thank my fellow Board Members for the contribution
they have made which may seem small, but is important in
the running of any organisation. A sincere appreciation
goes to our office staff for their dedication and sterling
performance of their responsibilities. We are proud of the
achievements of Nkuzi and trust that it will go from strength
to strength in the coming years.
Asaph
Ndlovu
Chairperson
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