Three South African government officials, including Health Department Director-General Sandile Buthelezi, were arrested and charged with fraud and theft of funds allocated by the Global Fund.
Buthelezi was arrested along with the acting deputy director-general and the department’s chief financial officer, authorities said. The arrests were conducted by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in coordination with the National Prosecuting Authority.
The officials were granted R10,000 bail each and are scheduled to appear in Pretoria’s Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on June 3.
According to the NPA, the three face two counts of theft and fraud totaling more than R1 million linked to the irregular appointment of companies to investigate and chair a disciplinary hearing for a suspended official. The payments to these service providers were made using Global Fund money intended for training and outbreak response.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi stated that the ministry is still assessing the circumstances of the arrest, emphasizing that the law must take its course.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in office since 2018, has pledged a crackdown on corruption, highlighting organized crime and systemic graft as critical threats to democracy and economic stability.
The Global Fund, based in Switzerland, raises and invests approximately $5 billion annually to combat HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, funded mainly by governments of wealthy nations with some private contributions.
