The Department of Higher Education and Training has suspended two officials at the head office in Pretoria following a leaked audio recording of Minister Blade Nzimande addressing his communication staff in a meeting.<\/P>
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The department\u2019s Director-General, Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, said the department has noted with extreme disappointment the recent articles in the media.<\/P>
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Sishi said given the seriousness of the matter, the department immediately conducted an internal investigation, which has led to the suspension of two officials.<\/P>
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He has warned officials against wrongdoing, to act responsibly in their line of work and to familiarise themselves with the \u201ccode of ethical conduct in government\u201d.<\/P>
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\u201cThe code of conduct for public servants demands of government employees to not use or disclose any official information for personal gain or the gain of others.<\/P>
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\u201cIt is against this background that the department has acted swiftly and continues with its internal investigations while the two officials remain on suspension,\u201d Sishi said.<\/P>
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The matter is also with the South African Police Service for further investigations.<\/P>
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Investigation into UNISA\u2019s affairs<\/P>
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Meanwhile, Nzimande said an investigation report into allegations of misconduct and maladministration at the University of South Africa (UNISA) has been completed and he is in the process of publishing it in the Government Gazette.<\/P>
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\u201cI have provided a copy of the report to the council of the university. I am in the process of publishing it in the Government Gazette, expected to be issued in due course.<\/P>
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\u201cUpon such publication, I will be submitting the report to the Speaker [of the National Assembly] Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for tabling before the National Assembly. I am currently studying the report and will contemplate the way forward regarding the implementation of the recommendations after due process, as guided by the prescripts of the Act [Section 47(2) of the Higher Education Act, No. 101 of 1997],\u201d Nzimande said.<\/P>
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Nzimande thanked Professor Themba Mosia, who was appointed as the Independent Assessor to conduct the investigation.<\/P>
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\u201cI wish to also express my appreciation to the entire university community for their co-operation with the investigation. I thank all stakeholders who made presentations to the Independent Assessor, and all who cooperated with the Independent Assessor to ensure that the investigation was done and concluded successfully,\u201d the Minister said. \u2013 SAnews.gov.za<\/P>
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Source: South African Government News Agency<\/P>
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The Department of Higher Education and Training has suspended two officials at the head office in Pretoria following a leaked audio recording of Minister Blade Nzimande addressing his communication staff in a meeting.The department\u2019s Director-General, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n