COMMUNITY CHEST PART 2
‘Social justice champ’ Lorenzo Davids labels bullying claims against him a smear campaign
Some Community Chest of the Western Cape staff accused a former CEO, social justice activist Lorenzo Davids, of being a bully. He says there was a plot to unseat him. These and other accusations have rocked the non-profit organisation. This is part two of a four-part investigative series.
When Lorenzo Davids started as the Community Chest of the Western Cape’s (CCWC) chief executive, he allegedly discovered a plot to unseat him.
“Two staff members who were part of [a] plot against the former CEO had both applied for the CEO position when it was first advertised and did not make it to the shortlist,” Davids said.
“I became an obvious target to try and smear and unseat.”
Davids, the focus of several accusations relating to a toxic workplace and financial mismanagement, was the CCWC’s chief executive from March 2013 to March 2021.
He has denied improperly channelling money and says he inherited a toxic workplace which he tried to fix.
‘Feeble grants and jobs forever’
But according to Davids, certain staffers tried to derail his plans.
“From the outset of my tenure I faced several attempts by staff to steer me away from developing and advancing a purposeful, pro-poor, justice-focused social development pathway for Community Chest,” he said.
“[Those staffers] attempted to create ‘jobs forever’ whilst not knowing anything about philanthropy (our field of work), justice and critical issues… The big boast in the office was always ‘who’s working here the longest’ and people would throw numbers around like ‘20 years,’ 18 years’, etc.”
However, several staffers counter Davids, asserting that he was a bully and made their work environment unbearable.
Counteraccusations
“It was a narcissist environment,” a former employee told Daily Maverick.
“We were bullied, it was a case of ‘if you do not make R23-million by March, you are out of here. The reality is that we needed to make that R23-million to cover his ass.”
These claims and other issues have internally fractured the non-profit organisation, which focuses on poverty alleviation and has been running for nearly 100 years.
A Daily Maverick investigation has found that, for more than a decade, the CCWC has been a hotbed of accusations and counteraccusations, ranging from financial mismanagement to unsupportive employers and employees.
The organisation, which has been in financial difficulty over the past few years, is now set to be the focus of a full audit.
List of grievances
Back in February 2021, which happened to be a month before Davids left the organisation, several concerned staff members listed their grievances (Daily Maverick has seen this list) and sent them to the CCWC board – they do not appear to have received a response.
They then wrote a letter to the organisation in March 2021, the month Davids left.
In the letter, which Daily Maverick has also seen, the staff wanted an update on an investigation that was previously launched into Davids.
Davids, it was alleged, spent excessively on things that did not fall within the auspices of the Community Chest.
“Stipends, groceries, and other social expenses (wedding rings, attire and ceremonies) were paid for the homeless people without consultation,” the letter said.
“Yet key organisations who work within this sector have not been funded as a grantee because the Chest does not have cash flow.”
More staff complaints
In February 2021, the United Association of South Africa (UASA), which represents workers at the organisation, had also asked its members to complete a survey to gauge how they felt in the workplace. (1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree)
The results showed that 20 of the 42 workers who took part in the survey were unhappy with the CCWC’s management and operations.
One employee complained about unreasonable expectations, allegedly brought on by Davids, including R23-million to be fundraised in 12 days.
The employee also complained that Davids, in dealing with their concerns, came across as harsh.
Lorenzo Davids. (Photo: Supplied)
“I personally feel like he uses his position of power to bully the management team and staff into doing what he requests, and when anything is challenged he evades answering by asking one of the Revenue Heads to respond,” the employee said.
Daily Maverick’s repeated attempts to get comment from the union were unsuccessful.
‘Intolerable’ situation
For his part, Davids said that when he started at the CCWC in 2013, he picked up on several worrying issues, including that several staff were earning R2,500 a month as administrative clerks.
“I was horrified,” Davids said.
“The driver, who was the most faithful staff member… was earning R4,000 and living in a backyard in a zink structure with his entire family – after 25 years of working for the organisation.
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“As a social justice organisation, that was intolerable. I fixed his salary within months and his housing within a year. Today he is the owner of his own home.”
Trying to eliminate toxicity
Davids told Daily Maverick that when he became the CCW’s chief executive, he invited every staff member to see him and discuss their feelings about the organisation.
“Of the 38 people in employment at the time, 18 broke down in tears in my office, some stating that they have ‘never been on this floor’ or ‘have never been in this office’,” Davids said.
“I was told of toxicity and verbal abuse that they endured under the previous leadership cohort.”
Davids said employees asked him to hold a “‘staff TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission]’ to allow people to speak of the pain they experienced during the previous administration at Community Chest”.
He said that took place over a week and was recorded on video.
Davids said he had told staff they would never experience such a culture of toxicity again.
“Despite my best efforts, I failed to eradicate the toxicity.
“I believe that we had staff with great potential. An amazing set of people, ruined by toxicity. They had every opportunity to do amazing things. Despite their deficits, which we all have, they had such great potential.”
Resigned
Davids said that in October 2020 he tendered his resignation to the CCWC board in writing because “for the first time in my tenure as CEO the annual income took a downward turn”.
He said the board convinced him to stay since the income matter was an anomaly. (Daily Maverick understands that the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns may have contributed to that.)
However, Davids said that on Christmas Eve in 2020 he wrote another resignation letter.
Again, the board had asked him to stay on and he agreed, but for no longer than a year.
“Finally, in February 2021, I was accused by my staff colleagues of misappropriation of funds, without any evidence… and on that day I wrote to the board and said, either you suspend me now or I will take a leave of absence,” Davids said.
“They said nothing. I then wrote later that day when I heard nothing from them that I am taking a leave of absence in light of these accusations made against me. I never returned to the office ever again. No one said a word to me. The board never spoke to me again. They all just went silent.” DM
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