By Johnathan Paoli
The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu-Natal has escalated its objections to the appointment of Yali Joli as the chief financial officer of the provincial education department, formally petitioning Premier Thami Ntuli to intervene and reverse the decision.
DA KZN education spokesperson Sakhile Mngadi said the decision followed education MEC Sipho Hlomuka’s failure to reverse the appointment within five days.
“It is untenable that an individual with unresolved allegations of financial misconduct should now be in charge of billions of rands meant for learners, infrastructure and critical school services. This sets a reckless and dangerous precedent,” Mngadi said.
The move comes amid mounting criticism from political and civil society stakeholders who question the integrity of the appointment, given Joli’s unresolved history of alleged corruption.
In a formal letter submitted on Monday, Mngadi urged the premier to institute an independent review of the appointment, disclose all related documentation and consider reversing the decision within 14 days.
The DA has warned that failure to act could result in legal action and formal complaints to the Public Service Commission and the Public Protector.
Joli, formerly CFO at the cooperative governance and traditional affairs department, resigned in January 2025 while under investigation for procurement-related corruption allegedly committed in the lead-up to the 2024 general elections.
Her resignation, submitted before the conclusion of an internal disciplinary process, rendered the investigation inconclusive and left serious questions about her accountability unanswered.
Despite this unresolved matter, the education department offered her the CFO position in the beginning of May.
In his letter to Ntuli, Mngadi described Joli’s appointment as “a breach of several key legal and constitutional principles”, citing Section 195 of the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and the Public Service Act.
The DA further stated that the appointment threatened the party’s ability to support future education budgets under the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).
“This is not merely a staffing issue, but speaks to the constitutional integrity of the provincial government and its commitment to clean governance,” Mngadi said.
The DA is also preparing a motion to summon Hlomuka and senior officials before the provincial legislature’s education portfolio committee.
“Instead of being held to account, Ms Joli has been rewarded with another top government job in a department already facing serious budgetary constraints and service delivery failures,” Mngadi argued, calling the appointment “cadre deployment” and “a betrayal of public trust.”
Inside Education reached out to teacher unions for updates regarding their plans.
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has rejected Joli’s appointment, calling it “reckless, negligent and potentially catastrophic”.
Sadtu KZN provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza confirmed her union’s decision to approach higher authorities for intervention.
“The union’s provincial executive committee took a decision to write to the Public Service Commission asking for the commission’s intervention,” Caluza said.
The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) also expressed dismay.
General-Secretary Basil Manuel noted that while Naptosa had not yet taken formal steps, the union remained deeply concerned.
Hlomuka, for his part, has defended the appointment, saying all due processes were followed and that no official report from the CoGTA investigation had been submitted.
“The person you are talking about is one of the best financial managers. She has performed very well in previous roles,” he said, adding that the provincial cabinet had endorsed the appointment.
The department already faces governance challenges including unpaid service providers, infrastructure backlogs and multiple audit findings.
Ntuli is now under increasing pressure to respond decisively.
In terms of Section 125 of the Constitution, the premier is obligated to ensure sound governance and ethical leadership within the provincial administration.
At the time of publishing, Ntuli’s office had not yet responded to the letter.
INSIDE EDUCATION
