Disciplinary hearing begins for GPAA’s suspended CEO Kedibone Madiehe

Monday marks a pivotal moment for governance within the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) as the disciplinary hearing for the suspended Chief Executive Officer, Kedibone Madiehe, is set to commence. 

The hearing comes on the heels of extensive forensic investigations conducted by three independent firms, which have scrutinised allegations of governance irregularities and financial misconduct within the agency.

Ministry of Finance spokesperson Mfuneko Toyana said Madiehe has received the investigative findings and the related charges that will form the basis of the proceedings. 

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana placed Madiehe on precautionary suspension in August 2025 after allegations of serious misconduct concerning high-value procurement transactions. 

Allegations of extensive financial mismanagement have recently affected the GPAA, the body responsible for managing the pension matters of approximately 1.7 million individuals, including government employees, pensioners, and their dependants.

Governance failures and irregular spending, including questionable contracts worth hundreds of millions of rand, were flagged in an internal audit by Abacwaningi Business Solutions. The total estimated irregular spending exceeds R500 million.

The audit exposed allegations that the GPAA had paid R270m to contractors for refurbishments on a building it had no legal access to under a lease deal valued at R1 billion. The agency also allegedly squandered R148m leasing mobile office buses and more than R100m on duplicate ICT projects.

The GPAA reportedly signed a controversial R1-billion lease for the Brooklyn Bridge office building, which is located in Pretoria.

Disciplinary action was implemented in accordance with the President’s Minute No 191 of 2025 and the applicable Disciplinary Code for Senior Management Services, which delegates authority to the Finance Minister to institute disciplinary processes concerning these allegations.

“The public and other stakeholders are advised that the proceedings are being conducted in strict accordance with South African labour laws and established internal protocols,” Toyana said. 

“To safeguard the legal integrity of the hearings and to ensure that the rights of the suspended CEO are not unduly prejudiced, the specific terms of reference or the full investigative reports will not be published at this stage.” 

Toyana added that the Finance Ministry and the GPAA leadership are dedicated to restoring confidence in the agency's governance through a commitment to ethical practices and transparency.

"The core purpose of this undertaking is to ensure complete accountability."

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za