Home Affairs DG Apleni to contest his suspension
No reasons given for department’s action
Suspended Home Affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni will challenge his suspension‚ according to his lawyer.
Apleni’s suspension was announced by Home Affairs Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize yesterday afternoon.
“Home Affairs Minister Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize announced that the department’s director-general‚ Mr Mkuseli Apleni‚ has been placed on precautionary suspension as of today‚ 18 September 2017‚” the department said in a statement.
The department, however, did not give reasons for Apleni’s suspension.
Speaking to Power FM yesterday afternoon‚ Apleni’s attorney Sandile July said sometime last week there was a request for Apleni to provide reasons why he should not be suspended.
July said Apleni supplied the reasons. “He did not expect that‚ in light of the reasons provided‚ that he will be suspended‚” July said.
He said one of the allegations was that Apleni failed to amicably resolve legal disputes.
“When you say a person has failed to resolve amicably legal disputes‚ we have to ask a question, ‘what legal disputes?’ when Home Affairs has a lot of legal disputes?”
July said Apleni would challenge his suspension. “We know all the DGs are appointed by the president. The employer is the president and not the minister. We are not aware of any delegation that has been given by the president to the minister to suspend [him]. If there is such delegation‚ we would want to see it‚” July said.
The suspension comes after the department has come under great pressure over decisions made to grant the controversial Gupta family naturalisation in South Africa.
In June, Apleni admitted to parliament’s portfolio committee on home affairs that the approved naturalisation of the controversial Gupta family in SA was not tabled before parliament as required.
However‚ he insisted that the process of naturalisation itself was above board.
At recent meetings in parlia- ment, Apleni also distanced himself from a letter floating around in social media pertaining to the naturalisation.
He said the dates on the letter deviate from those in the actual naturalisation process‚ rending its authenticity questionable. –