Public Service Minister Faith Muthambi is running a bloated private office in which she has allegedly employed 40 people, in breach of government policy.

Sources said Muthambi increased her staff complement in December by hiring Cliff Bopape as a "protocol officer", former Limpopo MPL Jack Matlala as speech writer, and Joe Makhafola as the new spokesman even though she had hired another spokesman, Pfarelo Maduguma, in May.

Maduguma remains in the minister's office in an undefined role.

Sources said Muthambi's modus operandi was to "give her people" government titles where they perform functions outside those positions.

"There's a deputy director whose job is to only take pictures at events that the minister attends. There's also a guy who's responsible for social media in the minister's office. We don't know what a protocol officer does because other ministers don't have that," said one source.

Last year, Muthambi had to defend herself after the Sunday Times revealed that she flew 30 of her friends and relatives to Cape Town at a cost of R300000 to attend her budget speech. She has also told parliament, according to reports, that she sees nothing wrong with hiring family members to work for her.

The officials further claimed that the "protocol officer" position did not exist in terms of the ministerial handbook or the organogram of her department.

The ministerial handbook spells out the number of staff ministers are allowed to hire and limits that to 10. Muthambi has also been accused of "imposing exile" on her director-general Mashwahle Diphofa by not allowing him to return from the annual leave he took in October.

Diphofa has since been transferred to the Department of Traditional Affairs following intervention by the office of President Jacob Zuma and the Public Service Commission.

Responding through her acting director-general William Vukela, Muthambi denied she had a staff complement of 40 people but did not offer another figure.

"As and when vacancies become available due to staff movements, as was the case in the ministry, the ministry has the responsibility to fill those vacancies.

"As such, the following vacant positions were filled: Mr Matlala was appointed as director: parliament liaison and research analysis, Mr Bopape as ministerial receptionist, [and] Mr Makhafola as director: cabinet and parliamentary liaison officer. These posts are not in the private office as alleged."