11 hours ago
KZN premier summoned to appear before portfolio committee
KZN Premier Thami Ntuli has been summoned to appear before the Portfolio Committee on Office of the Premier, Community Safety and Liaison to give clarity on allegations that the youth manager in his office threatened to physically harm the former director general, Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize.
Portfolio Committee chair Mbali Frazer alleges that Mkhize's crime was to refuse to sign off an appointment letter related to the R100-million Youth Fund.
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'We believe it will be an abdication of our responsibility not to allow the premier of the province to address these serious allegations in an appropriate platform,' said Frazer.
'We have written a letter to him requesting him to appear before the committee. As the committee responsible for playing an oversight role over the executive, we believe such allegations warrant our attention.
'The Office of the Premier has a critical role to play in terms of the co-ordination of the work of provincial government departments on service delivery. The destabilisation of the Office of the Premier in any form, including threats to physically harm a senior female civil servant, should be viewed in a serious light by all leaders of society across all political affiliations,' she said.
The ANC Youth League strongly condemns the actions of Premier Thami Ntuli for allegedly shielding perpetrators of violence, particularly gender-based violence (GBV), within his administration.
ANCYL KZN Provincial Secretary Lulama Mabude said they are appalled by these allegations.
'We fully support the Youth Fund initiative established by the former ANC premier, Numusa Dube-Ncube, to empower young people to thrive in business and contribute meaningfully to the economy.
'However, we categorically reject the misuse of these funds to benefit non-compliant applicants or those selected based on political affiliation.
'We demand an immediate halt to this process and call for a transparent, merit-based review to ensure funds serve their intended purpose of uplifting KZN's youth,' said Mabude.
She added that the youth manager in question is alleged to have pressured Mkhize to approve these funds to benefit his political allies and associates, undermining the integrity of the Youth Fund.
'We will not tolerate government officials perpetuating GBV and escaping accountability.
'South African women and youth live in constant fear due to harassment and abuse, and the premier's office has failed to address these serious allegations,' said Mabude.
Attempts to obtain comment from the Office of the Premier were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
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