The Chief Executive Officer of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Busisiwe Memela-Khambula, has been placed on precautionary suspension.
The Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe made the announcement on Tuesday. In a statement, Tolashe added that the CEO’s precautionary suspension will be with full pay pending the outcome of the investigation into her appointment.
According to the minister, the precautionary suspension was set in place to allow investigations into her appointment as CEO of SASSA to go ahead without hindrance or interference.
In addition, Tolashe says the Office of the Public Protector has raised a number of serious issues that have prompted her to take appropriate action as the executive authority over SASSA.
In a statement, Tolashe says the decision was important to protect her dignity and integrity and praised the humility the CEO demonstrated when the decision to suspend her was communicated.
Minister Tolashe says all the decisions that have been taken are to steer SASSA in the right direction and are taken in the best interest of the millions of beneficiaries who depend on social assistance.
“Whilst we deal with a lot of challenges facing SASSA, we want to take decisive decisions that will ensure that our work is transparent, effective and efficient and we have an organization that will assist in fighting hunger and poverty in our country.”
Themba Matlou, the Regional Executive Manager for Gauteng and has since been appointed as the Acting CEO until the investigation involving Memela-Khambula has been concluded.
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