Mlengana confirmed on Wednesday that Ndudane had been dismissed.

The dismissal letter reads: "You were charged in terms of public service co-coordinating bargaining council (PSCBC) resolution no. 1 of 2003, read with chapter 7 of the SMS Handbook. The disciplinary hearing took place from 25-29 November 2019.

"The chairperson found you guilty of theft of three tons of abalone to the value of approximately R7m from the department's stores in Paarden Island in December 2017 or January 2018.

"Having considered all the evidence and having heard argument from the initiator, the chairperson pronounced a sanction of dismissal as the only possible sanction to be imposed upon you.

"This misconduct is of a serious nature and deserves to be eradicated and deterred within the department in order to better achieve the goals of the department and broader public. I therefore give effect to the sanction pronounced by the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing."

Ndudane denied that she ever stole, however.

"I deny the allegations of theft of three tons of abalone. There was nothing unlawful, misrepresenting nor false about the operation since an approved 252A request was received from the directorate of public prosecutions by the police," she said in a written reply.

"Therefore, until the conclusion of the NPA investigations, the DG could not have established the facts - hence I deny the allegations as nothing but defamation."

Ndudane said it was laughable that Mlengana wrote her a dismissal letter when she had already resigned on November 12.