The former provincial police commissioner of Mpumalanga has been appointed to lead the eThekwini Municipality’s Integrity and Investigation Unit (CIIU) for six-months with effect from this week.
Thulani Ntobela was appointed as the interim head of the CIIU from Monday, August 7.
The position became available following the resignation of the Unit’s former head, Mbuso Ngcobo. Ngcobo, who has been investigating high-profile corruption cases involving former mayor Zandile Gumede, said at the time that he resigned out fear for his life.
Ntobela, 62, is the former Mpumalanga Provincial Police Commissioner and his employment history showed he possesses a depth of expertise in general and forensic investigations having served in the position for five years between November 2009 to October 2014.
Among his key responsibilities as police commissioner were crime prevention, human and physical resources and finance management.
“When I took over in 2009, Mpumalanga was the worst performing province out of the nine provinces. They were at the bottom of the league in terms of overall performance but when I left in 2014, Mpumalanga was ranked second in the country,” said Ntobela.
Ntobela also holds an LLB from the University of South Africa and a B Juris Degree from the University of Zululand and is an admitted Advocate of the High Court.
In 2005, he was appointed the Provincial Head of Detectives in the Western Cape with the rank of Major-General. He was responsible for all crime detection in 178 police stations, general investigations, and other specialised units, including Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units, the Organised Crime and Commercial Branches Units.
Ntobela spearheaded the Ten Point Plan for the detectives in the Western Cape and said he prides himself for conducting quality investigations “without fear or favour.”
After leaving the South African Police Service, Ntobela joined The iFirm Trading and Projects, which is a forensic investigations company.
He was employed as the Chief Executive Officer, where he project managed investigations, including the fraudulent procurement of 21 roads in the Eastern Cape, the investigation of R300 million procurement of prefabricated classrooms in the Eastern Cape and investigations into Covid-19 related procurement in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Mr Ntobela has a proven track record in leading forensic investigations, having led critical investigations in both the public and private sector,” said eThekwini City Manager Musa Mbhele.
“He is a decisive and focused professional who brings in-depth industry experience and excellent strategic and leadership skills to the City,” Mbhele said.
“We are confident that Mr Ntobela will ensure stability in the CIIU until the position of Head of that Unit is permanently filled.”