Energy Minister Jeff Radebe confirmed at a media briefing on Friday that South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) CEO Phumzile Tshelane had been subject to "precautionary suspension". The CEO is an ex-officio member of the Necsa board.

An entirely new Necsa board was announced this week.

"An investigation will be initiated to ascertain the complete extent of the alleged irregularities, and dependent on the results thereof, the institution of disciplinary proceedings may, or may not, be necessary," stated the Minister. He accused Tshelane of "defiance" of instructions.

Radebe pointed out that, as was normal in government, he had delegated some responsibilities to his Deputy Minister Thembisile Majola. In accordance with this practice, he delegated to her the function of overseeing Necsa subsidiary NTP Radioisotopes (which was in crisis and shutdown for nearly a year). To this end, she had to liaise directly with the NTP board (NTP has its own board).

"In an example of such defiance by Necsa was an instruction issued to the NTP board by the Necsa CEO instructing them to desist from liaising directly with the Ministry," he reported.

"Later, the Necsa chairperson wrote a letter to the Minister complaining about how direct liaison between the board and the Deputy Minister resulted in what he called an untenable situation. If there was initially any doubt about the actions of the CEO in respect of his instructions to the NTP [board] to ostensibly defy the executive, it became clearer in this letter that the Necsa board chairperson wrote that they were one in intent and purpose of what the CEO had done."

In response to a question, Radebe cited a further example. Recently, the head of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBO) came to South Africa. (South Africa signed the CBT in 1996 and ratified it in 1999.) He came to visit Pelindaba, where South Africa's nuclear weapons had been developed and stored, but was refused entry to the complex on the orders of the Necsa CEO.