Chairperson, we certainly will be able to provide the details of those guidelines, but for the moment we may say that an employee may be suspended for purposes of a disciplinary enquiry. A suspension may take any one of the following forms: The individual could either be suspended on full pay or he or she could be transferred to another section in the workplace. However, you must understand, to suspend an employee the following elements have to be prevalent: the employee must have allegedly committed a serious offense; the presence of that employee at the workplace must jeopardise any investigation into the alleged misconduct, or it might endanger the wellbeing or safety of any person or state property.
Before an employee is suspended we have to ensure that a hearing is conducted to comply with the audi alteram partem rule. An employee should not be suspended unless there are prima facie grounds for believing that that particular employee has committed a serious misconduct and that there is some objectively justifiable reason for excluding the employee from the workplace. Once an employee has been suspended, the stipulation is that the disciplinary hearing must be held within a period of 60 days, depending on the complexity of the matter and the length of the investigation.
Now, we often find that because of the nature of the legal processes, for example by the defence of the employee that face the misconduct charges, these cases are being processed. The guidelines are being formulated and are being taken to the Cabinet for approval. Thank you.