Cape Town - While lockdown has resulted in many people wearing their pyjamas as work attire, one Independent Development Trust (IDT) official was caught on camera topless and wearing only shorts.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure released a statement on Thursday saying it would like to sincerely apologise to the Joint Portfolio Committee Chairpersons, members and the public at large for an errant behaviour displayed by the IDT official during a joint portfolio virtual meeting of 17 June 2020.
The Independent Development Trust is an entity of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
The official was caught on video laying on the bed, topless and wearing only shorts while the meeting was in session, a behaviour which the department has strongly condemned "as it undermined the decorum of the meeting".
The Director-General of the Department, Advocate Sam Vukela, instructed that the official be immediately removed from the meeting and the incident should be viewed in a serious light.
“This is a very serious offence which must be followed by a proper disciplinary process. This kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable and has brought the department into serious disrepute. I have therefore referred the matter to the CEO of the IDT to look further into it in order to determine the appropriate corrective measures to be taken.
“The CEO will in due course provide the Minister with a report on the outcome of this matter and also the measures which have been taken in this regard,” concluded Advocate Vukela.