Nicholson resigns as TVEP's programme director

“I would have preferred to hand over to a competent woman, but unfortunately the board and I fail to see eye to eye on the values and work ethics of the organisation, and so I was forced to tender my resignation prematurely,” she said. “Discussions are, however, still underway as we are all on the same page when it comes to putting the needs of the community, and our commitments to donors, before all else.”

Nicholson said that the community should rest reassured that services to the community would not be negatively impacted in any way as a result of her resignation.

In a media statement released on Wednesday, TVEP stated that, after decades of service to the people of Vhembe district and beyond, Ms Fiona Nicholson had tendered her resignation as the programmes' director during the meeting.

“After outlining Ms Nicholson’s significant contributions to the organisation, to the preventing  and addressing of gender-based violence, and the disseminating of novel and important interventions internationally, her resignation was accepted,” it reads.

The chairperson for the TVEP, Prof Mashudu Maselesele, said that the board of trustees would convene an urgent meeting to discuss Nicholson's resignation letter. When asked if the board of trustees had been expecting a resignation letter at this stage from Nicholson, Prof Maselesele said that she would only answer questions after Thursday's meeting.

Meanwhile, Nicholson remains a trustee and co-founder of the organisation. Apparently, the management committee had nominated the sector manager for prevention, empowerment and support, Mr Tshilidzi Masikhwa, to act as acting programme director for the interim.

The TVEP is currently also facing an eviction from their Sibasa offices, after the Limpopo High Court had granted an application from the Department of Public Works to evict them.

Date:16 February 2018

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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