ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Zwakele Mncwango has expressed support for suspended CFO of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zinhle Buthelezi, saying she has been wrongfully accused.
Mncwango said he will attend Buthelezi’s disciplinary hearing as a witness. He believes she is being wrongfully persecuted for exposing corruption within the department. The malfeasance is related to a sports fitness centre in the Newcastle municipality.
He said independent audits have shown that funds were allocated to the Newcastle Local Municipality for the fitness centre, yet no work had been done.
“This should have been the government’s priority: to follow the money trail and hold those truly responsible accountable. Instead, an innocent official is being victimised.
“Furthermore, it is unacceptable that there are suspicions from the government suggesting Ms Buthelezi was in contact with me regarding this case. I must make it clear, Ms Buthelezi was not my whistleblower,” said Mncwango.
No protection for whistleblowers
He said instead of being protected for speaking out, Buthelezi has been victimised, suspended, and accused of corruption by her own department.
“We formally wrote to KZN Premier Thami Ntuli in November 2024, alerting him of the situation, and requested that an investigation be done. Shockingly, instead of dealing with the allegations of corruption, the department saw fit to accuse Ms Buthelezi of being my whistleblower.
“I have stated on multiple occasions that she was not the source of this information. The government’s fixation on scapegoating her has been deeply concerning, while the actual corruption remains uninvestigated,” said Mncwango.
He criticised the provincial government for its alleged failure to protect whistleblowers despite presenting itself as their defender.
He also raised concerns about the current head of department, who laid the charges against Buthelezi, saying there was a possible conflict of interest.
Mncwango revealed that the true whistleblower had now agreed to come forward.
“I am pleased that the true whistleblower is willing to come forward and testify before the disciplinary panel, confirming that they provided the information to me. I respect their decision to take this step in defence of the CFO.
“As I have consistently done, I protect the identities of those who trust me with information, but I will not stand in the way if the whistleblower chooses to reveal themselves and provide testimony on record,” said Mncwango.
