Director-General in the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Nonhlanhla O. Mkhize, has issued a public statement on her recent resignation and her subsequent retraction, after what she describes as a traumatic act of workplace gender-based violence.

Dr Mkhize broke her silence on an incident that she said left her physically intimidated, verbally abused, and fearing for her safety during an altercation with a senior male colleague.

According to her statement, the incident took place during a routine professional engagement in which Dr Mkhize refused to approve documentation that had not followed established governance protocols related to the Youth Fund.

This refusal reportedly triggered a violent and aggressive outburst from a Director-level official.

“What should have remained a professional exchange escalated into a demeaning and frightening confrontation. I had to run for my life,” she said. “This happened in front of other male colleagues.”

Dr Mkhize described being verbally assaulted, physically threatened, and publicly humiliated in a setting that was meant to be governed by professionalism and mutual respect. “If this could happen to me, at the apex of provincial administration, what does it say about the young women I leave behind in our offices?”

Mkhize was the first woman to hold the Director-General post in KZN since 1994 and previously served in several other groundbreaking national leadership roles.

She initially tendered her resignation “under duress” after the incident while still in a state of trauma.

However, after reflection and counselling, she retracted the resignation. However, she said her retraction was neither acknowledged nor addressed. Dr Mkhize’s term as Director-General was originally set to run until October 2027. 

She also revealed that her state-provided communication access was cut off immediately upon her resignation being retracted, leaving her isolated.

Mkhize now plans to pursue legal action to seek redress, describing the lack of institutional response as further victimisation. “The silence, the absence of empathy, and the immediate disconnection from all means of communication make one thing clear: the system was never built to protect women like me,” she said.

“To the women still inside these broken systems: I see you. I believe you. You are not alone,” she added.

IOL

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