Controversy erupts as Thami Ntuli's New York trip costs come under scrutiny
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli is navigating a storm of criticism following allegations that he spent nearly one million rand of taxpayers money on an official trip to New York in September 2024.
What set tongues wagging was the allegations that the figure disclosed as the amount spent on Ntuli's trip (R600 000) was significantly higher than previously disclosed figures.
The supposed discrepancy is what sparked outrage among opposition leaders and taxpayers alike.
In response to the claims, Ntuli's spokesperson, Lindelani Mbatha, defended the integrity of the trip, describing the allegations as 'malicious' and asserted that they were aimed at distorting the truth.
According to Mbatha, the premier's trip was endorsed by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council, focused on participating in an urgent international conference on climate change.
Mbatha explained that the importance of the trip stemmed from the catastrophic consequences the province had suffered in recent years, due to natural disasters.
Ntuli attended last year's Climate Week event, which ran from September 22 to 29,
There, he sought to forge vital international partnerships and collaboration with various stakeholders in climate action, while showcasing the province's achievements in disaster risk management and biodiversity conservation.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
'Let the record reflect that the trip to New York was an official government engagement, fully sanctioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Council,' Mbatha stated.
He said the trip was part of a wider initiative to secure global support and investment in renewable energy projects and climate adaptation strategies, essential for addressing the province's vulnerabilities to environmental challenges.
Despite these assurances, the controversy has prompted the matter to be escalated to the KZN Legislature's ethics committee. The committee is charged with investigating whether Ntuli's actions and the associated expenditure breached ethical standards or regulations.
The committee is expected to determine the appropriate course of action as they sift through the facts surrounding the expenditure. Mbatha reiterated that the Premier had fully accounted for the trip's details before both the Executive Council and the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, emphasising the Premier's confidence in the legislature's ability to conduct an informed review.
He stressed the necessity of unity among all sectors of society in avoiding the spread of misinformation that could undermine public trust and democratic institutions.
'The challenges facing our province require unity, maturity, and a shared commitment to facts, truth, and constructive engagement,' he stated.
'The premier remains focused on the urgent task of rebuilding public trust and ensuring that KwaZulu-Natal continues to move forward guided by transparency and accountability.
The ANC provincial spokesperson Fanle Sibisi said that his party had noted the reports concerning the alleged R1 million expenditure by the Premier during his official trip to the US.
Sibisi said there was a distinct difference when it came to benchmarking and fact-finding missions as standard practices for refining government policy approaches.
'While we understand the public's concern about the trip's cost, we believe it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions or take a stance on this matter without all relevant facts.
"To this end, the ANC welcomed the fact that, following these reports, the circumstances surrounding this trip, including the costs, are being investigated by the Legislature's Ethics Committee.
"We trust that, during its review, the ethics committee will also examine whether this trip adhered to the Ministerial Handbook and the requirements of the austerity measures. It is only then that the ANC will provide a comment,' he said.
Attempts to reach the DA's provincial leader, Francois Rogers, who is the Finance MEC in KZN were not successful at the time of publication.
DAILY NEWS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
ANC to take on DA in hotly contested eThekwini by-election
The eThekwini Municipality's ward 64 by-election is expected to be hotly contested between the DA and the ANC. Image: Supplied The newly-appointed ANC's eThekwini regional task team is set to pass its first political test if its wins the ward 64 by-election and takes the ward from the DA. The ward which incorporates parts of Montclair, Clairwood and Yellowwood Park, south of Durban is up for grabs following the resignation of the DA councillor who went into business according to his party. The demographic of the ward has changed over the years, added to by the relocation of students from tertiary institutions. There are also few informal settlements and the recent relocation of flood victims for whom KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements purchased a R33 million flat, which was viewed as an ANC strategy to diversify the ward more with the hope of reducing the DA's influence. The ANC eThekwini task team spokesperson Thinta Cibane said the party always contests all wards with the intention to win. He said the area is now diverse and no longer classified as a suburb for one particular race group, which means any party can win it. 'We are putting more effort to win the ward and even if we do not win we will make serious inroads. We will put up a good fight so it's going to be a hotly contested by-election," said Cibane. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading In response, the DA spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Sithembiso Ngema dismissed the ANC's claim to win the ward as wishful thinking, vowing that his party will retain the ward. Ngema who is also a councillor in eThekwini said the party has noted that whenever there was an opportunity to relocate people, the ANC led-eThekwini targeted areas populated by the DA supporters for political reasons. However, he said his party was not scared and it received positive feedback from all the residents of the ward during its voter registration drive last week. The ward election will be held next month. With the new regional task team in place, the ANC is hoping to regain the lost ground following the humiliating defeat by Umkhonto weSizwe Party in last year's elections in the city. Jacob Zuma's party won the majority of votes followed by the DA, shoving the ANC to third place for the first time in the history of local government elections. With its sizable budget, the only metro in the province is expected to be a battleground for parties in next year's local government elections.
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Budget cuts delay critical disaster management initiatives in KwaZulu-Natal
Several KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) projects, including the integration of video systems, were put on hold because of budget constraints. Image: KZN Legislature-Website Several KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) projects, including the integration of video systems, were put on hold because of budget constraints. The PDMC, in collaboration with the eThekwini Municipality and South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL), is aiming to implement live video and surveillance cameras to enable real-time monitoring and reporting of disaster-related incidents. This initiative is not a standalone project, but rather it will be integrated with the Command and Control Collaborator (CMORE) software communication system as part of a broader information management and communication system. These setbacks were detailed when the KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Portfolio Committee was briefed on PDMC matters on Friday. These PDMC setbacks could be implemented in the 2026/27 and the 2027/28 financial years, including the acquisition of rescue equipment (e.g., snow chains) and specialised disaster response training. In response to ongoing fiscal constraints, CoGTA was instructed by the Provincial Treasury to implement cost-cutting measures. Despite these constraints, a R2 million allocation has been made for the 2025/26 financial year to support the maintenance of integrated communication systems. This includes maintenance of boardroom audio-visual equipment and support for CMORE. The meeting also gave progress on the current status of post-disaster management grants funded by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), including utilisation, challenges, and impact on recovery and resilience efforts in affected communities. The NDMC made R4.1 billion in grant funding available in the form of disaster response and recovery grants to the affected municipalities between 2019 and 2025. Dr Joey Krishnan, acting HOD of CoGTA, said that KZN did not have sufficient resources to manage disasters in the province, so they have engaged in many Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with various social partners. Krishnan said the social partners assist CoGTA with various types of support, relief material, food, blankets, as well as specialised training, and they come to the front when there are disasters. She said the collaboration was aimed at enhancing disaster management operations across the province. She said that the cooperation agreements signed on February 20, 2025, have significantly strengthened the KZN PDMC's capacity across all phases of disaster management. Marlaine Nair, CoGTA Portfolio Committee chairperson, said that the MoU between SANRAL, the South African Weather Services, and eThekwini to put cameras at strategic points so that the provincial DMC could monitor disasters and provide early warnings was not signed because it requires a significant budget that is not available. In addition, she said, the CMORE system that the department has piloted requires municipalities to purchase their smartphones, software, and data to be able to use. 'Currently, municipalities are budgeting the least amount for disaster management because of competing priorities. The Department of CoGTA must find an additional budget to be able to do much more in the province in terms of preparation for disaster preparedness and prevention,' she said. Tim Brauteseth, DA MPL, was concerned that after the April 2022 floods, an amount was allocated to eThekwini for expenditure on restoring infrastructure, but only a small amount of it had been spent to improve things. In response to Brauteseth, Krishnan said R861 million that was allocated to the eThekwini metro was returned to the national fiscus. 'We are aware of it and we have engaged eThekwini to provide details and reports in that regard. We have not received a detailed report in that sense, but in any event, they will have to make further applications now to the National Treasury, and we have indicated that we will support any application they make,' she said.
The South African
2 days ago
- The South African
Hilton Arts Festival: A celebration of artistic talent
The small town of Hilton, nestled between Howick and Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal will come alive when the Hilton Arts Festival kicks off from 8-9 August. Festival goers can expect an eclectic programme of events in the genres of music, theatre, film, visual arts, stand-up comedy and storytelling, hosted at the Hilton College. 'To our audiences – your support, your presence, your belief in the value of the arts – that is what keeps this festival alive. You are why we do what we do. 'We hope you enjoy what we've put together for you this year – the shows, the art, the craft, the conversations, the surprises, and the space to simply reconnect through creativity. Every choice was made with you in mind,' stated the Hilton Arts Festival Team. Audiences are in for a treat with about 122 events running over the three day period. Highlights include a gripping theatre drama Girls and Boys directed by Steven Stead and starring award-winning actress, Janna Ramos-Violante. If you love stand-up comedy, then catch Schalk Bezuidenhout's live performance. Music lovers who are fanatical about music from the '70s era would appreciate Funk the Disco. Powerhouse, vocalist, Lucy Tops is set to wow audiences with a reminiscent experience through songs. She will perform the songs of legendary musicians James Brown, Bee Gees, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind and Fire. The Fest for all Schools segment offers schools the opportunity to showcase its pupils' musical talents. An onsite Kidzone and Teenzone will offer an array of rides and fun activities for children. Kids may enjoy frolicking fun in the water with the Fairytale Express Mermaid Calypso. Art connoisseurs and those who love the fine arts may enjoy the offerings of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum who will be onsite at the Hilton Arts Festival. If you love cars, the Retro Ride Revival will showcase classic, vintage, muscle cars and rare collections. If you would like to attend this annual fest of fun a cover charge of R100 per car applies for the entire weekend. Fair goers may enjoy free events. A cover charge applies for certain shows. Tickets may be done via Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
