Firing me a 'miscarriage of justice' says former NYDA boss

Dismissed National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) CEO Steven Ngubeni believes the NYDA was hasty in relieving him of his duties.

"The decision by the board of the NYDA was a miscarriage of justice," he told reporters at a briefing in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

He claimed to have heard about his dismissal from a journalist, before the notice could be delivered to his home.

Ngubeni said he was shocked and dismayed when a journalist called him to ask for his comment on the matter on Tuesday.

He said the allegations of bribery and corruption against him were totally baseless. He claimed he was charged only with making decisions beyond his authority.

"The NYDA board, in an act of desperation and impatience, took a strange, unilateral, unlawful and unfair decision to terminate my services."

Ngubeni said NYDA's board had not concluded a disciplinary hearing against him, where he was co-operating with the proceedings.

"Unfortunately, the employer has always made it difficult for me to prove my innocence. The process was marred by insurmountable prejudice to myself as an employee."

The NYDA announced his dismissal, with immediate effect, on Wednesday.

"Based on the information and documentation at its disposal, the board was of the view that there is enough evidence to demonstrate that Mr Ngubeni was guilty of financial misconduct in relation to the seven charges tabled before him at an independent disciplinary inquiry," NYDA spokesman Siyabonga Magadla said in a statement.