Name: Thapelo Samuel Buthelezi
Born: N/A (unconfirmed in public records)
Nationality: South African
Other names / Nicknames: Thapelo Buthelezi (also occasionally referenced as Sifiso Buthelezi in some media reports)
Alma mater: N/A (unconfirmed)
Spouse: Monica Buthelezi
Children: N/A (unconfirmed)
Education: N/A (unconfirmed)
Higher Education: N/A (unconfirmed)
Occupation: Businessman; managing director and owner of emergency medical services companies
Years active: 2013–present
Known for: Ownership and operation of Buthelezi Emergency Medical Services (Pty) Ltd and affiliated companies providing outsourced ambulance and patient transport services to provincial health departments.
Political party: N/A (unconfirmed publicly; however, opposition parties such as the DA have alleged that his provincial contracts were awarded due to “political considerations”)
Other political affiliations: N/A (unconfirmed)
Career & Positions held (chronological):
Director and owner of Buthelezi Emergency Medical Services (Pty) Ltd (registration no. 2013/0645417/07), registered in 2013. From 2014 to 2019, the company and affiliated entities (including Buthelezi One Stop Emergency Medical Services, Buthelezi One Stop EMS, and B EMS) held contracts with the Free State Department of Health for emergency medical services and patient transport, receiving payments exceeding R1 billion. In 2016, one of the companies was awarded the inter-facility patient transfer tender for most of the North West province. Buthelezi has been listed as a director of multiple entities with similar names operating in the emergency medical services sector.
Awards and honours: None on public record.
Controversies:
The companies were awarded contracts by the Free State and North West provincial health departments through processes later ruled irregular, unprocedural, and unconstitutional. Investigative reporting highlighted allegations of overcharging, back-dated price adjustments, the use of multiple similarly named companies in procurement, and substandard service delivery (including ambulances reportedly operating without proper equipment or effectively acting as “patient taxis”).
Criminal charges / Legal issues:
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September 2022: Thapelo Samuel Buthelezi, his spouse Monica Buthelezi, and their accountant Nkosana Sekobane appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court facing 95 counts of fraud and contravention of the Tax Administration Act relating to alleged misrepresentations in company tax returns submitted between 2014 and 2019 for Buthelezi EMS (Pty) Ltd and B EMS Close Corporation. They were granted R30,000 bail each.
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May 2025: On 5 May 2025, the Special Tribunal declared the Free State emergency medical services contracts unlawful and ordered four Buthelezi-linked companies to repay R532,789,770.12 (Buthelezi EMS: R305.1 million; B EMS: R182.2 million; Buthelezi One Stop Emergency Med: R40.6 million; Buthelezi One Stop EMS: R4.7 million), together with legal costs. The tribunal further directed Buthelezi to file audited financial statements of expenses, income, and profits derived from the contracts within 45 days.
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January & May 2026 (Recent Updates): Following Buthelezi’s failure to comply with the May 2025 order to submit financial records—citing financial constraints and lack of legal representation—the SIU initiated contempt proceedings. As a result, the Special Tribunal granted preservation orders freezing his assets to prevent dissipation while recovery efforts continue. In January 2026, a 1,071-square-metre farm in Parys (registered to Buthelezi EMS) was frozen. On 26 May 2026, the Tribunal officially froze an upmarket luxury property linked to Buthelezi in Meyersdal Nature Estate, Alberton, Gauteng.
Website / Social media: N/A (no verified official website or public social media accounts identified)
