CAPE TOWN – The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) says its deputy director general who is accused of committing several crimes within the fisheries sector faces disciplinary action.
Siphokazi Ndudane faces numerous charges including fraud and theft among others. She’s since been placed under suspension.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has on Wednesday held a media briefing in which detailed the crimes levelled against Ndudane.
The DA’s provincial economic opportunities, tourism, and agriculture standing committee also handed over a detailed charge sheet of a disciplinary hearing held at DAFF’s offices in Pretoria earlier this month.
In the document, it states that Ndudane has been found guilty of the various charges against her and the document has been signed off by the department’s director general Mike Mlengana.
The committee’s Beverley Schäfer explains.
“She has been found of, among others, 155 counts of fraud, 37 counts of theft, extortion, forgery, [and] defeating the ends of justice.”
But DAFF’s Khaye Nkwanyana questions the authenticity of the document, adding that the disciplinary hearing against Ndudane has yet to be completed.
“The instruction on my side is to exactly communicate that the hearing hasn’t set. We just have to investigate how the DA got the report, who signed it and whether it is it authentic.”
The DA says it stands by the document in its possession.
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