African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula’s brother Jabu has been named the MEC for Community Safety, Roads and Transport in the Free State. Jabu was named among the new members of the executive council earlier this week. FIKILE MBALULA’S BROTHER JABU APPOINTED MEC IN FREE STATE Jabu Ntsokolo Ishmael is familiar with the Free State provincial government as he previously served as its spokesperson.
He also served as SA’s Ambassador to Romania from 2017 until his return to South Africa. In 2022, an investigative report into the illegal appointment of staffers in the Free State’s Mangaung Metro Municipality exposed Jabu Mbalula as one of the ghost staffers who allegedly cost the council millions in salaries every month while never reporting for a single day of work. The Citizen reported that most ANC cadre deployments occurred after the 2021 local government elections when individuals identified as “skeletal staff” were signed up, often without appointment letters or contracts, violating the Municipal Systems Act.
According to the report, the ghost workers received a total of R2.5 million in salaries in January alone. In March, the salary bill shot up to R9m as the number of hired staffers increased from 125 to 165.
Following Jabu’s appointment, the ANC in the Free State held a media briefing to defend the decision to appoint him as a member of the executive council. Ironically, in 2022 during his tenure as Transport Minister, Mbalula reveale.
