The South African National Parks chief executive Fundisile Mketeni says he is ready to return to work after he was acquitted of assault and sexual assault charges on Monday.

This was confirmed by Mpumalanga's National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa, who said Mketeni and his colleague Danny Thwala were now free men.

"[The matter] was finalised today, both accused [were] found not guilty and discharged," she said. The case was before the Bushbuckridge magistrate's court in Mpumalanga.

Mketeni, SanParks risk manager Thwala, and Xola Mkefa, the state-owned entity's head of social economic transformation, took special leave from work in May after they were arrested for assault and sexual assault.

Charges against Mkefa were dropped in July.

Mketeni told SowetanLIVE: "I feel so relieved, though with a bit of anger in me because of what I went through. Although I am willing to forgive and forget, there is a huge challenge of rebuilding my name I made over 33 years."

He said "the people who conspired" against him disturbed his term work programme at SanParks.

"This is a huge organisation and people like these disrupted [my work] programme," he said.

Thwala said: "I am married with two children and the matter was emotionally draining [to] me and my family. I am happy for the support my wife gave me as she was always with me in court."

Mketeni's attorney Macbeth Ncongwane and advocate Adriana Bevilacquq told Sowetan the allegations left Mketeni's family traumatised and he reserved his rights for further legal action to restore his dignity.