Pretoria – The spokesperson for the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment Albi Modise has resigned to take up a new position with the Gautrain Management Agency.
Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy, and the Deputy Minister, Makhotso Sotyu, have thanked Modise – the outgoing Chief Director of Communications and Spokesperson – “for his dedication and commitment, and wished him well for the future”.
“Mr Modise has resigned from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment after accepting a position at Gautrain Management Agency,” the department said Monday.
“He leaves the Department at the end of April 2023 after serving 14 years as the Department’s media spokesperson.”
Commenting on the resignation, Minister Creecy said: “Mr. Modise leaves a legacy that will be difficult to match. But, he leaves behind an able team of communicators that he has led and trained during his tenure in the Department.
“I will miss him, because we have worked together every day since I have been here.”
Creecy added that officials in the department, who had worked with Modise for the past 14 years, as well as the broader environmental sector would also miss his leadership and the calm manner that made it easy for him build a lot of trust between the department and various stakeholders, including the media.
“As your time in this Department draws to a close, I want to express my sincerest gratitude for your service,” said Deputy Minister Sotyu.
“A spokesperson’s responsibility is one of the toughest jobs in any institution, as this person must not only be the face of the organisation, but a spokesperson must always be proactive and be on point when the time for crisis communications arises to prevent that particular crisis from getting out of hand.”
Modise’s last day in the department will be on 28 April 2023.
