The Makhado Municipality has suspended an employee in the finance department with full pay, following the disappearance of R45 000 from a municipal safe on Christmas Eve last year.

The official, who has been working temporarily as a cashier at the council since 1997, was absorbed permanently last year in January.

Municipal manager Faith Muthambi said that, as usual, they audited the money they had collected, before taking it to the bank. "During auditing, it was discovered that an amount of R45 000 was missing. How it disappeared is still a misery to me, because our security system is tight. We spoke to the person who was on duty when we closed for the festive season. We discovered that the employee could not remember whether she had locked the safe or not during her last day on duty," said Muthambi.

Muthambi added that she had already appointed an internal investigator and that the suspended officer will appear before the municipal disciplinary committee in due course.

Muthambi confirmed that the municipality laid criminal charges against the suspended cashier at the local police station.