Duarte has not resigned - Presidency

Monday, March 1, 2010

Pretoria - The Presidency has confirmed that its Chief Operations Officer Jessie Duarte has not resigned.

This after the Sunday Times reported that Duarte had resigned as a result of alleged in-fighting.

"Firstly, we wish to confirm that Ms Duarte has not resigned. She is still Chief Operations Officer in the Presidency and will be Acting Director-General this week in the absence of Mr Vusi Mavimbela who is going to the United Kingdom as part of the President's delegation," said the Presidency.

The Presidency said the former ANC spokesperson and Head of the Private Office Lakela Kaunda "vehemently rejects" reports of conflict or tension between them.

"They work well together and support each other positively and constructively. Any reports to the contrary are complete fabrications," it said.

The Presidency also cautioned the media against false and unverified information against it, adding that the claim that the President's advisers were blocked from seeing him was not only false but misleading.