Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu has terminated the contract of the controversial head of the department (HOD) of culture, sport, and recreation, Godfrey Ntombela.
This decision follows Ndlovu’s discovery of what he described as a “fraudulent activity” related to the extension of Ntombela’s employment contract.
Speaking at a media briefing in Mbombela on Monday, Ndlovu dropped a bombshell that is set to intensify the political fallout already swirling around his administration.
“I would like to confirm that a decision has been taken to terminate the employment contract of the head of department for culture, sport and recreation, Mr Godfrey Ntombela, with immediate effect,” Ndlovu said.
According to the premier, Ntombela rejected his extension of an offer, claiming instead that his contract had already been extended by former premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane until 2027.
“This claim has been vehemently refuted by former premier Mtshweni-Tsipane,” Ndlovu stated. “She states that she never extended Mr Ntombela’s employment contract beyond September 2024.”
Electronic signature
Ndlovu went on to allege that Ntombela may have used the former premier’s electronic signature without authorisation to validate a forged contract.
“It has also come to my attention that a fraudulent activity has been committed, where the former premier’s electronic signature was used in the purported extension.
“There is an alleged payment of R80 000 that was exchanged for the misuse of the former premier’s electronic signature.”
The matter has now been escalated to law enforcement.
“As a result, we have consulted the acting provincial commissioner of SA Police Service, Lieutenant-General Zeph Mkhwanazi,” Ndlovu said.
A damning Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report flagged Ntombela early this year, exposing widespread Covid-19 procurement irregularities under his watch.
The SIU found that millions were syphoned from the culture, sport and recreation department through fake fumigation jobs, bogus food deliveries, and inflated invoices.
Ntombela, as an accounting officer, is said to have failed to enforce accountability and allowed manipulated supply chain processes, including forged quotations and unlawful payment splitting.
Ndlovu’s executive council adopted the report and committed to disciplinary action while the SIU moves to recover nearly R4-million.
Target of political persecution
In May, Ntombela, dubbed the “teleprompter HOD” after the 2025 Metro FM Awards disaster, publicly accused the premier of targeting him due to the incident, during which Ndlovu stumbled on stage following a technical failure.
Social media erupted with memes and criticism following the incident.
“I’m not the one who was scrolling that thing at the Mbombela Stadium. It’s called an autocue. It’s the SABC,” Ntombela said during his press briefing.
“They are running with the script. By the time you say other things, suddenly you want to be mad at me.”
Ntombela insisted he was innocent and had long been the target of political persecution.
“Since the premier ascended to the highest office, I’ve been under consistent threat of suspension or termination,” he said.
But Ndlovu said the issue was far deeper than showbiz embarrassment.
“The role of the head of department is to provide leadership and management for a department,” he explained at the time, stressing the importance of “honesty, integrity, loyalty, accountability and transparency”.
