JOHANNESBURG, Friday 28 August 2026 — The City of Johannesburg has appointed former Gauteng health department head Lesiba Malotana to lead its Public Safety Department despite municipal security screening identifying him as a potential security risk and an earlier Special Investigating Unit lifestyle audit recommending further forensic investigation.
The appointment was approved by the Johannesburg council on Wednesday after an attempt by the Democratic Alliance to postpone the decision until outstanding matters concerning Malotana had been resolved was defeated.
The position places Malotana at the head of one of Johannesburg’s most important administrative departments, responsible for functions that include metropolitan policing, emergency management and licensing.
According to documents reported by Daily Maverick, the city’s Group Forensic and Investigation Services conducted screening that identified the earlier findings concerning Malotana.
A subsequent personnel suitability assessment recorded “negative information” indicating a potential security risk to the city.
Johannesburg then sought an external legal opinion before proceeding with the appointment.
The legal advice concluded there was no legal prohibition preventing Malotana’s appointment because he has not been convicted of a criminal offence or found guilty of misconduct.
It nevertheless recommended that the city proceed cautiously and introduce measures to manage risks arising from the outstanding investigations.
Malotana remained the city’s first-ranked candidate.
Two other shortlisted candidates reportedly had no negative security information identified during their screenings.
The concerns surrounding Malotana originate partly from a lifestyle audit conducted by the Special Investigating Unit while he headed the Gauteng Department of Health.
The Gauteng government confirmed in October 2025 that the SIU classified him as “high risk” and recommended a full forensic investigation into his lifestyle.
Malotana was subsequently placed on precautionary suspension by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
He later returned to work after the prescribed precautionary suspension period expired without disciplinary proceedings having been completed and was deployed as a senior manager in the Gauteng Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The outstanding investigations and risk assessments do not constitute findings that Malotana committed corruption or another criminal offence.
He has not been convicted of an offence or found guilty of misconduct in relation to the matters identified through the screening process.
The Johannesburg appointment has nevertheless prompted opposition parties and civil-society organisations to question whether the council exercised appropriate judgment in filling a senior administrative position.
DA Johannesburg public safety spokesperson Solomon Maila said the party was preparing a High Court review seeking to overturn the appointment.
According to Maila, the appointment was supported in council by the ANC, EFF, Patriotic Alliance and Al Jama-ah, while the DA, Freedom Front Plus, SACP and ActionSA opposed it.
The Joburg Crisis Alliance has separately called for the appointment to be rescinded.
The organisation said the question was not whether Malotana should be presumed guilty, but whether unresolved integrity and security concerns should have prevented his appointment to such a senior position.
It has called on the city to release the complete risk assessment and legal advice considered by councillors.
The dispute is politically significant because it concerns the administration of Johannesburg less than three months before the 4 November local government elections.
Governance, public safety and the professionalisation of Johannesburg’s administration have become major campaign issues after a council term characterised by repeated changes in political leadership and coalition arrangements.
Mayor Dada Morero is one of three people being considered for the ANC’s Johannesburg mayoral candidacy, alongside Deputy Mayor Loyiso Masuku and ANC veteran Frank Chikane.
The DA is challenging with Helen Zille, while ActionSA has selected former mayor Herman Mashaba.
The appointment therefore gives opposition parties a new governance issue to contest during a campaign in which the record of the current Johannesburg administration is likely to feature prominently.
It also exposes another division inside the existing council immediately before parties submit their final election candidates to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
Candidate nominations close at 17:00 on Friday, after which the IEC will begin verification ahead of publication of final candidate lists on 16 September.
The immediate next development will be whether the DA proceeds with its proposed High Court review and whether the city releases further information explaining how the identified risks were weighed against Malotana’s suitability for the position.
Any court challenge would move the controversy from a council and election-campaign dispute into a legal examination of whether Johannesburg acted rationally and lawfully when making one of its most consequential senior administrative appointments.
