Premier's office responds to criticism after appointing Siphokazi Ndudane to DRDAR

Bhisho - Responding to criticismfollowing his appointment of Siphokazi Ndudane, as HOD of the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) in the Eastern Cape, Premier, Oscar Mabuyane's office said that everything had been done above board.

Ms Ndudane, who was an employee of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, was apparently charged with 39 charges, including 155 counts of fraud, 37 counts of theft, extortion, forgery, insubordination, defeating the ends of Justice and contravening section 217(1)of the constitution of the Republic, act 108 of 1996.

She was found guilty of stealing three tons of Abalone to the value of R7 000 000-00 from the department’s store in Paarden Island, between December 2017 and Jan 2018.

"At the time when Ms Siphokazi Ndudane was appointed by the Eastern Cape Provincial Government she was not fired by her former employer and had not gone to the Disciplinary hearing. She was on a protracted suspension," explained the Premier’s Spokesperson, Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha.

"She voluntarily declared the suspension to the interviewing panel. 

"The Premier only got to know about the letter of her dismissal after she had been appointed to the position."

 Sicwetsha said that even the letter being paraded on social media was signed after she had been appointed by the Eastern Cape Provincial Government.

"Now that the letter has come to the Premier’s attention, he is interacting with Ms Ndudane to deal with the matter between herself and her former employer," Sicwetsha added.

"This means she has between now and the end of December 2019 to sort out and clear this issue.

"The Premier is also interacting with her former employer, Minister Thoko Didiza on this issue. 

"The focus of that interaction is to first get the report of the outcomes of the disciplinary process initiated by her former employer. 

"The Premier is also engaging the legal team of the provincial government to look at the legal matters of this issue given the latest development."

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