Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize, the director-general in the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal is under fire from the DA in KZN, which has called for her removal.
DA Member of Provincial Legislature and spokesperson on finance, Tim Brauteseth, said Mkhize was implicated in and even arrested for allegedly meddling in processes surrounding forensic investigations, which had “damning findings in terms of the dealings of former KZN administration senior officials”.
In 2022 Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo had confirmed Mkhize’s arrest. At the time Mkhize was arrested at her home, along with an alleged accomplice “on allegations of defeating the ends of justice and intimidation”.
Mbambo had said an extensive investigation by the National Clean Audit task team of the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit had led to the arrests.
But Mkhize has maintained that her hands are clean and is challenging the charges following her arrest in 2022.
Brauteseth said that KZN Premier Thami Ntuli’s effort to root out corruption would be futile if Mkhize was still in office. He alleged that Mkhize moved the authority to conduct forensic investigations from provincial treasury to the office of the premier.
“Mkhize has been implicated in and even arrested for meddling in processes surrounding forensic investigations which had damning findings in terms of the dealings of former KZN administration senior officials.
So deep was her involvement that it is not a stretch of the imagination to suspect that she is indeed the messenger and handmaiden of the corruption hyenas determined to loot a financially strapped KZN to its last cent.
“Mkhize was arrested for her successful attempts to intimidate a senior Mhlathuze Water Board official into handing over a confidential forensic report, and in so doing defeating the ends of justice,” asserted Brautseth.
Njabulo Gcumisa, a spokesperson for Mkhize’s office, said he was aware of the DA’s statement but could not comment. Ntuli inherited Mkhize, who has been director-general since 2017, after her appointment by then premier Willies Mchunu.
Bongi Gwala, head of provincial government communications, said the matter was before a court of law and, “as a matter of principle and respect for the judicial processes, the director-general does not wish to discuss this matter outside of the courts. It is, however, a matter of fact that the court has moved the director-general from being accused number 1 to being accused number 15.”
The Mercury