Investigate hiring of thieving dept head, says FF Plus

The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) will ask Minister of Public Service and Administration Senzo Mchunu to investigate the hiring of a new head of Eastern Cape department of rural development and land reform, Siphokazi Ndudane, after she was found guilty of theft by the department of agriculture.

Ndudane was offered a senior position as director-general in Eastern Cape local government, five days after she was dismissed as deputy director-general of the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries due to theft.

She was found guilty in a hearing of stealing three tons of abalone, valued at about R7 million, from the department’s stores in Paarden Island between December

2017 and January 2018.

Heloise Denner, FF Plus MP and spokesperson for public service and administration, condemned Ndudane’s appointment. She said it displayed the ANC’s embracing of “unacceptable and probably criminal behaviour”.

“This once again serves as proof of the ANC’s tendency to simply redeploy cadres who have been implicated in irregularities,” Denner said.

She demanded that the department institute criminal proceedings against Ndudane.

“The department must also explain why the responsible official or officials did not inform the police immediately.

“It is a crime of shocking proportions and Ndudane was surely not the only one involved,” Denner said.

She would take up the matter with Mchunu and would demand that he investigate the issue.

Alction must also be taken against all officials involved.

Neither Mamkeli Ngam, Eastern Cape cooperative governance and traditional affairs departmental spokesperson, nor provincial government spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha were available for comment yesterday.