The presidency is investigating claims that a senior public servant - who is also an ordained minister - sexually harassed a female subordinate.
A whistleblower reported Reverend Themba Vundla, a chief director in the Transport Department, to the Presidential Hotline for harassment.
Vundla was investigated - and cleared - on similar charges when he worked as former KwaZulu-Natal premier S'bu Ndebele's director of protocol.
Vundla, who is close to Ndebele, joined the Transport Department after Ndebele was elevated to the cabinet last year.
The Saturday Star can reveal that the complainant - who works in the KZN premier's office - lodged the complaint with the Presidential Hotline last year after no one in the provincial government would help her.
Yesterday, the complainant switched off her phone when the Saturday Star tried to contact her.
Vundla confirmed the complaint.
"The allegation has no foundation whatsoever... She was unhappy that I had reported her for not doing her work," he said, claiming that the complainant had been absent from work for a total of 25 days during September and October last year.
Vundla said he became aware of the complaint after he was contacted by the Presidential Hotline last month.
Vundla said the department was investigating the complaint and he had already given them his side of the story.
But the acting director-general of transport, George Mahlalela, put the ball back in the provincial government's court.
"Vundla is still an employee of the province. He was seconded to us from KZN, so the province is doing the investigations," he added.
Vundla is in charge of road safety campaigns, said Mahlalela.
During his time in KZN, after joining Ndebele's office in 2004, Vundla's former secretary claimed he had sexually harassed her.
Ndebele cleared Vundla of all wrongdoing after an internal investigation. The secretary lost her job.
In a statement at the time, Ndebele said Vundla's secretary had alleged "she felt she was hugged too closely", adding they had found no evidence of sexual harassment.
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