Note to Editors: Please find a soundbite in English by DA MPL, Refiloe Nt’sekhe here.
Former Gauteng Department of Social Development MEC, Faith Mazibuko, effectively shielded the department’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) from accountability for irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure exceeding R220 million in the 2023/2024 and 2024/25 financial years. This was uncovered through questions tabled to MEC Mazibuko by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
In November 2025, I posed oral questions to MEC Mazibuko to determine whether the CFO, risk auditors, and internal auditors had been held accountable for fruitless and wasteful expenditure. The Auditor-General also flagged this as concerning under Section 38(1)(c) of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), which requires the accounting officer to manage finances effectively and prevent irregular expenditure. In her response, MEC Mazibuko stated that the staff mentioned were competent and that there were no violations of the PFMA.
In March 2026, another member of the GPL asked about the department’s fruitless and wasteful expenditure. The MEC responded by stating that the CFO and Head of Department (HOD) were no longer employees of the department and therefore could no longer be held accountable for these monies wasted on avoidable costs.
The CFO, Risk Auditors, and Internal Auditors clearly violated the PFMA by failing to advise the HOD on these financial mishaps. Meanwhile, MEC Mazibuko is equally at fault for ignoring the DA’s warnings about wasteful spending in her department. She had a chance to act against these individuals but refused to do so.
The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA) states that if irregular expenditure involves corruption, officials (and potentially the MEC) must report it. The failure to do so constitutes a criminal offence. Likewise, the Executive Ethics Code for MECs requires them to act in good faith and prevent misuse of public resources.
The ballooning irregular expenditure is not a technical error; it is a complete breakdown of financial controls in a department entrusted to care for the most vulnerable.
The DA has tabled questions for the new Gauteng Social Development MEC Nomantu Ralehoko-Nkomo to establish whether the CFO resigned or was dismissed. We will also lodge a complaint with the Public Service Commission (PSC), requesting that it investigate the CFO’s ability to hold future public service employment, and his failure to adhere to the PFMA, even if he has left public service. If there is a crime, he should answer for it.
With such poor leadership and oversight, one wonders what will become of the Gauteng Health Department that Premier Panyaza Lesufi has put under MEC Mazibuko’s watch. What is evident is that Premier Lesufi is not committed to serving Gauteng citizens; hence, instead of firing underperforming MECs like her, he would rather reshuffle them.
The DA’s governance record makes it the only party capable of reversing the decline in this department. By appointing a capable MEC and strengthening oversight, the focus can shift toward quality service delivery that is respectful and caring for all residents served by this department.