Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane suspended provincial education department head Naledi Mbude and has instructed her to leave behind all government equipment, and documents in her possession. | MaliDayimani
Malibongwe DayimaniEastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has suspended education department head Naledi Mbude. Mabuyane says his office will send out a statement later.
According to Cassim, Mbude said she discovered that the department had been deliberately submitting manual orders for textbooks and stationery for years, delaying payment until the next financial year due to insufficient funds in the budget. Mbude also informed the committee that the reason the infrastructure budget was underspent, was due to significant allegedly irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure that she had discovered in the infrastructure programme.
In a letter dated 30 March, Mabuyane asked Mbude to make representations, and she responded on 4 April.In the suspension letter on Tuesday, Mabuyane said he noted the content of her representations and added that he would not respond to every averment made. "As the premier and executing authority, it is my prerogative, and acting within the ambit of the law, to place any head of department on suspension. Suspension is not a punitive measure and I do not seek to punish you in any way," Mabuyane added.