“The minister will be meeting her legal team to consider the judgment and any course of action to follow," her office said in a statement on Monday.

Judge Dennis David upheld the court’s November 2015 ruling that Motsoeneng’s appointment was irrational.

Speaking outside the high court, Motsoeneng said Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on his appointment was “misleading the country”. He vowed to take his fight to the Constitutional Court, if need be.

Her report, entitled “When Governance and Ethics Fail”, was released in February 2014. She found he lied about his qualifications when he applied for the post of COO, increased his salary from R1.5m to R2.4m in one year, purged senior staff, and irregularly increased the salaries of various staff members.

Despite this, Muthambi permanently appointed him to the post. The DA then took the matter to court.

-News24.com