Communications Minister Faith Muthambi interacts with National Youth Development Agency beneficiaries in Nelspruit as part of the Ministerial Imbizo Outreach Programme on 5 September 2014.
JOHANNESBURG - The Public Service Commission (PSC) has agreed to probe a complaint by the DA into possible abuse of office by the Minister of Public Service and Administration Faith Muthambi., who is accused of hiring "family and friends".
Muthambi has denied the allegation that she had appointed 27 people to her private office, more than what she is entitled to according to the ministerial handbook.
The rules cap the number of staff in the minister’s private office at 10.
READ: Minister will be subpoenaed after boycotting Parliament
The DA&39;s shadow minister of public service and administration, Desiree van der Walt, welcomed the decision by the PSC.
"On 2 February 2018, we wrote to the PSC asking that an investigation be conducted to test allegations that Minister Muthambi had expanded her private office to 40 people, some of whom include family and friends."
READ: Muthumbi on warpath at Dept of Public Service and Administration
It a recent letter to the DA signed by Chairman RK Sizani the PSC said it "has assigned commissioner B Luthuli, the cluster commissioner for the Department of Public Service and Administration, to lead an investigation team to conduct an investigation into the regularity in the filling of posts within the ministry".
"The DA looks forward to a timely conclusion of this investigation and appropriate sanction that would reign in Minister Muthambi’s abuse of office to please the politically connected few," said Van Der Walt.
