Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Makhotso Sotyu have thanked the department's outgoing Chief Director of Communications and spokesperson, Albi Modise, for his dedication and commitment and have wished him well for the future.

Modise resigned from the department after accepting a position at Gautrain Management Agency.

"Modise leaves a legacy that will be difficult to match. However, 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.

"He leaves the department at the end of April 2023 after serving 14 years as the department's media spokesperson," Creecy said on Monday.

She said 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 to 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. 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," the Deputy Minister said.

Modise's last day in the department will be on 28 April 2023.

Henceforth all media queries and interview requests must be directed to Peter Mbelengwa on 082 611 8197 / pmbelengwa@dffe.gov.za