There is exodus in the Premier’s office in Limpopo, following the resignation of four senior officials.

Adv Tommy Ntsewa (then Chief of Staff in the Premier’s office), Murdock Muremi (then General Manager Corporate Services) and Tleyane Matsubane (then head of department internal audit) resigned from their positions last month, where they started at their new work as from September 1.

The Director General of the Limpopo Government, Ms Manching Monyama, who was embroiled in the controversy of allegedly lying to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) about the clerk who had been promoted without relevant qualifications, also resigned last month and she is now Head of Department with the housing department in Gauteng.

Monyama was put under pressure by opposition parties who wanted her to resign after she told Scopa that a clerk who had been promoted without matric was demoted back to her position and was paying back the money that she earned in her new position, which was not true.

Muremi, who was working under Monyama, also followed her to Gauteng while Matsubane has joined an auditing firm.

Ntsewa, who is also the chairperson for the Limpopo Geographical Name Committee and also chairman for the South African Geographical Names Council, said he joined Anglo Platinum in Gauteng.

The resignations of these senior officers come while there is some re-structuring process going on in the Premier’s office. A source from within said: “I believe these people left because they are not comfortable with the ‘hands-on approach’ used by the present Premier, Sello Moloto.

“For example, the DG (Monyama) has been occupying that position for more than eight years. But there were Deputy Director Generals (DDG) who were just earning their salaries without having work to do after they were unfairly fired and came back following a court ruling.

“These DDG’s did not have a job to do because their posts were advertised and filled before their cases were finalised.

“Such things reflect badly on Ntsewa and Monyama and that might be one of the reasons why they left,” said the source.

Ntsewa confirmed that there is some reshuffling process going on in the office, but he said: “I did not leave because of that.”

The spokesperson for Premier Moloto, Mohale Nchabeleng, confirmed that the four senior officers have left, but he said: “I think it is just a coincidence that they left at the same time while there is a reshuffling process.”