KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has vowed to investigate why a senior official is facing disciplinary charges after being accused of exposing alleged corruption within the Department of Arts, Sports and Culture.
The department’s suspended Chief Financial Officer, Zinhle Buthelezi, is currently appearing before a disciplinary committee. She has been accused of leaking confidential documents to ActionSA’s provincial leader, Zwakele Mncwango, in 2023. As an alternative, the department alleges she failed to pursue an internal probe to establish who might have passed the documents to Mncwango. Buthelezi was suspended in May last year.
Ntuli told reporters he was unaware of the developments and requested a full report.
“We cannot allow the victimisation of corruption whistle-blowers. We are on record saying people must report corruption or wrongdoing irrespective of who is involved, so I am going to look into the matter,” Ntuli said.
The case, heard on Thursday, was postponed to Monday for closing arguments. Additional charges include insubordination and breaching the terms of her suspension. According to the department, Buthelezi contacted then-MEC Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba to query her suspension, which was viewed as undermining the authority of the Head of Department. She is also accused of taking departmental documents while on suspension, allegedly in violation of her suspension notice.
Buthelezi’s lawyer, Logan Naidu, argued that the department was targeting the wrong person.
“We are disturbed that the department has hired lawyers to prosecute an official for allegedly blowing the whistle on corruption activities. My client is wrongly targeted because Mncwango knows who the whistle-blower is, not her,” Naidu said.
Mncwango also defended Buthelezi, saying he had previously appealed to Ntuli to protect her from victimisation. He denied receiving the documents from her. In 2023, he publicly exposed allegations that millions were allocated for fitness centres across municipalities, yet no facilities were built. He even published payment records he claimed showed work being paid for but not delivered.
The department’s Head of Department argued that such information was confidential and could only have been accessed by an insider. Meanwhile, spokesperson Ntando Mnyandu confirmed that current MEC Mntomuhle Khawula is awaiting a full report since the matter originated under the previous administration.
The controversy has raised questions over whether the department is clamping down on corruption or silencing those who attempt to expose it.
