South African writer, playwright, and former Business and Arts South Africa CEO Ashraf Johaardien has published a first-person account of the circumstances surrounding his departure from BASA in September 2024.
In the piece, Ashraf Johaardien states that he resigned before the board’s vote of no confidence was passed, and that he learned of the vote through social media rather than direct communication from the board. He further states that no grounds for the vote were communicated to him before, during, or after the meeting in question.
Johaardien describes the item that led to the vote as a “matter for discussion” added under “other matters” at the start of an ordinary board meeting, for which he was asked to leave the room without explanation. Some board members present have disputed that any formal vote took place.
During his tenure as CEO from 2019 to 2024, Ashraf Johaardien led BASA to raise more than R120 million for the South African creative sector. The organisation’s Supporting Grants programme leveraged more than R590 million in corporate sponsorship for arts projects across the country.
Ashraf Johaardien is a multi-award-winning playwright and writer. His writing appears on Medium and on his Substack publication, Marginalia + Syntax.
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Author: Xeenit Smith from NAZLIFE on behalf of Ashraf Johaardien.
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