KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane has called for Premier Thami Ntuli to investigate the allegations of corruption levelled against her, making the remarks at the 2025/26 budget debate and vote at the provincial legislature on Tuesday.
IOL reports that the total health budget is R56.2bn, and Simelane promised it would go towards clinic upgrades, improvements to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and interventions to enhance service delivery within the department.
However, in her speech, she also said members of the Provincial Legislature, particularly those from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), should write to Ntuli, the Auditor-General of South Africa, and the provincial Treasury to probe any accusations against her.
The MEC has denied she abused her position of power as the previous chairperson of the Agriculture and Rural Development Portfolio Committee to secure funding for a family company in Ithala and within the government.
Members of the MK party had made scathing remarks to Simelane during the budget debate, with MP Judith Gasa saying she had heard in the news that Simelane was “seen at the airport with a bag full of money”.
Gasa – asked to withdraw her statement because it was fake news – said she was also concerned about contracts and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), which she labelled as politically protected plundering.
“The MEC wants us to believe that digitising the health system would improve efficiency, yet she cannot even digitise honesty in her office. Before we digitise health records, can we first digitise a list of MEC members' families who have benefited from the health tenders?” she said.
She added that MPLs were called to vote upon the Health budget as Simelane was facing allegations of “using proximity to benefit her family of KwaZulu-Natal provincial government funds to the tune of millions”.
She called for a full forensic audit of all PPP arrangements in the department and the immediate suspension of any official with political links to irregular procurements.
Simelane said she would be writing a detailed report on the allegations to Ntuli and the ANC.
In a statement, the DA said it supports due process, not trial by media.
It said until hard evidence of the MEC “improperly benefiting from her position as chairperson of Agriculture and Rural Reform (DARD) in KZN by receiving funding for a farm, livestock and other perks, supposedly linked to a family-owned company which, by her own admission, received a loan from Ithala Bank in 2008”, it would not “join the current claims and counter-claims and would act only on cold, hard facts”.
“The MEC admits the loan existed but claims no influence as she was a ‘junior official’ at the time. She also insists she left the company in 2004, before it received the loan,” the statement added.
“In the event that hard evidence – which is credible, verifiable and legally sound – emerges, we will not hesitate to act.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
KZN Health MEC accused of cadre deployment
Zuma era corruption continues in provincial health