Draft:Phumla Williams

Mirriam Phumla Williams (born 1 July 1960) is a South African public servant who served as spokeswoman of the Cabinet of South Africa and Chief Executive Officer of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). An anti-apartheid activist for the African National Congress (ANC), she was an operative of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) from 1978 until its disbandment in 1993.

Phumla Williams
Deputy Director-General of the Government Communication and Information System
In office 2009–2020
President	Jacob Zuma
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Government Communication and Information System
In office 2020–2022
President	Cyril Ramaphosa
Preceded by	Donald Liphoko
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Government Communication and Information System
In office 1998–2009
President	Thabo Mbeki
Personal details
Born	Mirriam Phumla Williams (1960-07-01) 1 July 1960 Pimville, Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa
Political party	African National Congress

As head of GCIS, Williams was responsible for all of South Africa's government communications - in charge of all spokespeople in government departments - and the spokeswoman for the Cabinet of South Africa.

Early life and political activism

Phumla Williams was born in Pimville, Soweto on 1 July 1960. She attended Musi High School. As a member of the ANC, her involvement in politics began after pupils across Soweto schools were shot and arrested by apartheid police during the 1976 Soweto student riots. She said during the day of the riots her female schoolmate was shot dead by an apartheid policeman when a stray bullet hit her while she was sweeping the yard of her home. In 1978, Williams left South Africa to join the exiled ANC in Swaziland and subsequently its military wing, the uMkhonto we Sizwe. Williams was based in Swaziland and Mozambique. She was arrested and tortured for weeks in 1989 for plotting to topple the apartheid government.

On being released in the early 1990s after the release of Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of political parties by apartheid-era president F.W. de Klerk, she worked at the ANC's Johannesburg headquarters as administrator before joining government in 1995.

Education and career

Williams holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of South Africa. When she joined government in 1995, Williams served as Director of Finance of GCIS and was then appointed the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of GCIS in 1998. In 2009, she became the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GCIS until August 2012 when she became the acting CEO following the expiry of CEO Mzwanele Manyi's contract, serving in the acting capacity until May 2020 when she was appointed the CEO of the GCIS - becoming the first female to hold such a position. She resigned in 2022

Testifying at State Capture Commission

In 2018, Williams appeared before the Zondo Commission to give a testimony of State capture she allegedly witnessed at GCIS during CEO Mzwanele Manyi and Faith Muthambi, the then Minister of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, and alleged the breach of procurement processes in order for individuals linked to the Gupta family to plunder the almost R600-million budget allocated for government advertisement spending. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies is responsible for GCIS. Testifying, Williams broke down in the televised testimony when recalling the alleged mistreatment and 'emotional abuse' she endured under Muthambi, likening it to the torture she experienced during her detention in the apartheid era. She alleged Manyi influenced government advertisement spending in favour of the Gupta-owned The New Age newspaper and their 24-hour TV news channel ANN7, getting government to spend about R50-million in less than five years for only these two media outlets. She told the commission that Muthambi wanted to get rid of her as acting GCIS head as she was seen as standing in her way in the alleged conspiracy to loot and claimed that Muthambi 'wanted to steal at all costs'.

Muthambi hit back at Williams, describing her as being one of the "shameful manipulators and liars" she ever met in her life.

I am seeking legal advice on these extremely once-sided evidence laced with half-truths and blatant lies that Ms Williams presented to the Commission. A very different truth will emerge, and her lies and reactionary agenda will be finally exposed for all to see (sic). - Faith Muthambi, 4 September 2018

Fraud accusation

Just a month after being dismissed as the CEO of the GCIS, Donald Liphoko in October 2018 opened a case of fraud against Williams after millions of rands were allegedly paid to two companies, Lightviews and Likhwane, for a job that the companies allegedly never performed while Williams was acting GCIS head. In his statement to the Hawks, Liphoko said on 27 November 2012 he was told about an investigation done by the office of the Accountant-General into suspected fraud committed when the GCIS entered into advert buying transactions with two companies, Lightviews and Likhwane.Tenders for outdoor advertising were procured by the two companies on behalf of Statistics South Africa for the Census 2011 public awareness campaign and money was paid despite the service not rendered

I am of the opinion that Ms Williams has participated in a corrupt act in that she authorised an irregular transaction and the advance payment of R7 762 000 to Lightviews and Likhwane on or about 7 January 2011, further that she was dishonest in that she sought to conceal an inducement to Lightviews in return for them abandoning the claim against GCIS for R19 275 120... she hindered or prevented the recovery of state funds and abetted an act of fraud against the state. In redirecting funds from the departmental vote of the GCIS, Ms Williams had not only diverted voted funds for purposes unrelated to those for which they were intended but has also inexplicably shown consistent favour to Lightviews and Likhwane. - Donald Liphoko, 29 October 2018

External links

• Statement of Ms Phumla Williams PDF download

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Categories:

• Living people
• 1960 births
• African National Congress politicians