Three South African government officials, including Health Department Director-General Sandile Buthelezi, were arrested and charged with fraud and theft of money allocated to the country by the Global Fund on March 2, 2026. Buthelezi was arrested along with an acting deputy director-general at the department and its chief financial officer, and they were granted bail of 10,000 rand ($620) each after appearing in Pretoria's Specialized Commercial Crimes Court.
In 2023, more than R1 million was unduly awarded to a service provider in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act, and the investigation has been under way since April 2024. The three face two counts of theft and fraud totaling more than 1 million rand linked to the irregular appointment of companies to investigate and chair a disciplinary hearing for a suspended official, with both service providers paid using Global Fund money intended to support training and outbreak response.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in power since 2018, has pledged to crack down on corruption that has hollowed out state institutions, and last month he underscored the need to intensify efforts against organized crime and systemic graft after identifying these as critical threats to democracy and economic stability. The three officials will return to court on June 3. The Global Fund raises and invests about $5 billion a year to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and is funded mainly by governments of wealthy nations, with some private contributions.