News24 reports that SA National Parks (SANParks) has denied that it fired an employee for alleging that mismanagement of a dam in the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) had led drownings.  

The organisation indicated that it was actually his "malicious" statements on social media about the matter that had got him sacked.  "In fact, his dismissal was due to failure from his part to adhere to SANParks procedures in respect of social media engagements as well as failure to make use of mandatory grievance procedure," Western Cape regional general manager Norman Johnson indicated in a statement.  He confirmed that from 2016 to date there had been four drownings at the Rhodes Memorial Dam, but “all the cases were recorded with the South African Police Service, Rondebosch Station… thus, the cover up allegation made by Mr Dixon is simply malicious and untruthful."  He alleged that Dixon's conduct statement made against SANParks and its management at TMNP put the organisation into disrepute.  But Dixon claimed that SANParks was trying to shift the blame.  He said he had sent internal emails raising his concerns about the dam, and after no action, he put it on social media out of concern for public safety.  He was fired in 2017, and still believes strongly that his ultimate responsibility as a SANParks ranger was to protect the public and that he did the right thing by going the social media route after other avenues failed.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard at News24

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