Themba Maseko

Themba Mveli James Maseko (born 27 January 1964) is a South African businessman, former public servant, and whistleblower who was the head of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) between 2006 and 2011. Since July 2024, he has been the head of the Wits School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is known for publicly accusing the Gupta brothers of attempting improperly to influence the allocation of public advertising contracts during his time at GCIS.

Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, Maseko was briefly a member of the National Assembly of South Africa between 1994 and 1995, representing the African National Congress. In addition to his position at GCIS, and between stints in the private sector, he served as head of the Gauteng Department of Education from 1995 to 2000, as head of the national Department of Public Works from 2003 to 2006, and as head of the national Department of Public Service and Administration in 2011.

Early life and education Maseko was born on 27 January 1964. He matriculated in 1982 at Immaculata High School in Diepkloof, Soweto.

Maseko resigned from the National Assembly in 1995 and became superintendent-general of the Gauteng Department of Education from 1995 to 2000. During a subsequent stint in the private sector, in 2001 and 2002 he was managing director of the Damelin Education Group and CEO of Sifikile Investments. was met with the surprise of the media, which had viewed Maseko as a competent public servant. Chabane said that Maseko had "requested to be moved within government" and that Jimmy Manyi would replace him at GCIS.

Upon his exit from GCIS, Maseko was transferred to become director-general of the national Department of Public Service and Administration. Maseko later explained that his relationship with Public Service Minister Richard Baloyi "did not gel", saying that Baloyi "felt I was imposed on him" and that he was sidelined in departmental decision-making.

Whistleblowing In October 2016, Maseko allegedly publicly – in a submission to a civil society panel and in an interview with City Press – that President Zuma had sacked him from GCIS in 2011 because of his refusal to acquiesce in state capture. According to Maseko, the Zuma-allied Gupta brothers had repeatedly lobbied him to use public funds to place advertisements in their New Age newspaper. In 2018 he provided testimony in this vein to the Zondo Commission, which concluded in its final report that Maseko's replacement by Manyi had been calculated to facilitate state capture by the Guptas.

In 2021, Maseko published a memoir titled For My Country: Why I Blew the Whistle on Zuma and the Guptas. He won a Whistleblower Award in the "Individual Whistleblower Excellence" category at Public Interest SA's inaugural Whistleblower Awards in October 2023.

Later career On 7 August 2017, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) announced that Maseko had been appointed as its director of communications. However, BLSA did not renew his contract at the expiry of its one-year term on 31 July 2018, instead embarking upon an overhaul of its communications department; Maseko said that his departure was amicable.

In January 2022, Maseko announced on Twitter that he had been appointed as the executive director of the executive development unit at the Wits School of Governance, housed at his alma mater. He was also an adjunct professor there. He became acting head of the school in September 2023 and was permanently appointed to the position from 1 July 2024.

Other activities Before his appointment to GCIS, Maseko was a member of the council of Vista University and a member of the boards of the Adopt-a-School Foundation and the Centre for Public Service Innovation.