By Johnathan Paoli
The Social Development Department’s veteran spokesperson, Lumka Oliphant, has lashed out at her employer after being suspended, accusing minister Sisisi Tolashe and senior officials of using trumped-up charges to silence her.
In a statement, Oliphant confirmed her suspension, linking it to suspicions that she leaked details of an official trip to the media.
“Just because I have worked with almost every journalist, particularly at City Press, Sisisi believes I leaked the information to the Sunday Times and City Press,” Oliphant said.
Her suspension follows a Sunday Times exposé that revealed the department spent over R3 million on luxury hotel accommodation in New York during an official trip. The revelations triggered public outrage over wasteful spending at a time when millions rely on social grants to survive.
Oliphant insisted the move was politically motivated, rooted in her past association with former minister Bathabile Dlamini, and
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