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Khumbudzo Ntshavheni

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The Honourable
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
MP
Ntshavheni in 2023
Minister in the Presidency
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 March 2023
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
DeputyNomasonto Motaung
Kenneth Morolong
Preceded byMondli Gungubele
In office
28 January 2021 – 5 August 2021
(acting)
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
Preceded byJackson Mthembu
Succeeded byMondli Gungubele
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
In office
5 August 2021 – 6 March 2023
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
DeputyPhilly Mapulane
Preceded byStella Ndabeni-Abrahams
Succeeded byMondli Gungubele
Minister of Small Business Development
In office
29 May 2019 – 4 August 2021
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa
DeputyRosemary Capa
Preceded byLindiwe Zulu
Succeeded byStella Ndabeni-Abrahams
Member of the National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 May 2019
Personal details
Born
Khumbudzo Phophi Silence Ntshavheni

(1977-01-30) 30 January 1977 (age 47)
Sibasa, Transvaal
South Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress
EducationMbilwi Secondary School
Alma materRand Afrikaans University
Bradford University

Khumbudzo Phophi Silence Ntshavheni (born 30 January 1977) is a South African politician who is currently serving as Minister in the Presidency since March 2023. She was formerly the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies from 2021 to 2023 and the Minister of Small Business Development from 2019 to 2021. She is a member of the African National Congress (ANC).

Born in Limpopo, Ntshavheni served in the leadership of the ANC Youth League and later as a campaign manager on Cyril Ramaphosa's CR17 campaign. She worked in business and public administration until the May 2019 general election, when she was elected to the National Assembly and appointed to Ramaphosa's cabinet. She has been a member of the ANC National Executive Committee since December 2022.

Early life and education

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Ntshavheni was born on 30 January 1977[1] in Sibasa in the former Transvaal Province.[2] Her mother worked in the taxi industry, while her father owned a general dealer's store.[3] She matriculated at Mbilwi Secondary School in Sibasa. As a teenager during the late apartheid period and post-apartheid transition, she was active in youth activism in the Northern Transvaal, including through the South African Youth Congress and Congress of South African Students.[1] In her retelling, she met Nelson Mandela as a 14-year-old, during the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, and attempted to persuade him to support a lower voting age of 16.[4]

After high school, Ntshavheni attended the Rand Afrikaans University, where she completed an undergraduate degree in political science and, in 1999, two Honours degrees, one in development studies and another in labour relations.[1] In 2008, she obtained a Master of Business Administration from Bradford University in the United Kingdom.[1]

Career in business and administration

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She began her career as a junior lecturer at the University of South Africa and then entered the public service as spokesperson to the Premier of Limpopo, Ngoako Ramatlhodi.[1] She went on to hold several different positions in the Limpopo government, including as a manager at Trade and Investment Limpopo and as chief information officer in the provincial department of local government and housing. From April 2008 to November 2010, she was the municipal manager of Limpopo's Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality.[1]

In 2010, Ntshavheni was appointed as the chief operating officer at the State Information Technology Agency (Sita). However, she and several other executives were placed on precautionary suspension in July 2013, reportedly in connection with an irregular tender award.[5] By 2014, she had left Sita;[5] Minister of Telecommunications Siyabonga Cwele later reported that she had received a R1.9-million executive settlement.[6][7] She later argued that her departure from Sita had received skewed coverage in the media.[4]

In August 2014, the Ministry of Trade and Industry appointed Ntshavheni to an advisory panel on black industrialisation,[8] and in July 2015, Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown appointed her to a three-year period as a non-executive director on the board of Denel, the state-owned arms manufacturer.[9] Her tenure on the board coincided with a tumultuous period at Denel, under the chairmanship of Daniel Mantsha, which was later the subject of public inquiries (see below).

Concurrently, Ntshavheni had several business interests, including in transport, consumer goods, and agriculture; she later described herself as having been a "serial entrepreneur".[1][3] She was the founding director and chairwoman of Nkho Trading, which worked in the transport and property development sectors.[1]

Early career in the African National Congress

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ANC Youth League

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While she pursued her career in business and public administration, Ntshavheni was an active member of the African National Congress (ANC), the governing party of South Africa. In April 2013, she was appointed to a 22-person national task team, led by Mzwandile Masina, that was tasked with rebuilding the ANC Youth League after its incumbent leadership corps was disbanded.[10] She also served on the league's National Executive Committee.[1] She was also elected to the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC's Limpopo branch,[1] and she served as the branch's spokesperson from 2015 until 2018,[2] when she failed to gain re-election to the provincial executive.[11]

CR17 campaign

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Ahead of the ANC's 54th National Conference in December 2017, Ntshavheni was recruited to Cyril Ramaphosa's winning party presidential campaign, nicknamed CR17. With Thembi Siweya,[12] she managed Ramaphosa's campaign in her home province of Limpopo, where Ramaphosa himself had substantial personal ties.[3]

Minister of Small Business Development: 2019–2021

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In the 2019 general election, Ntshavheni was elected to a seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of the South African Parliament. She was ranked 97th on the ANC's national party list.[13] After the election, President Ramaphosa appointed her to his second cabinet, where she succeeded Lindiwe Zulu as Minister of Small Business Development.[14] Rosemary Capa was appointed as her deputy.[15] Ntshavheni, calling herself a "third-generation small-business entrepreneur", said that her experience in business equipped her to lead the ministry.[3] She said that she viewed her new position as "an opportunity to do for SMEs what I wished someone did for my business", including by reducing red tape, expanding market access, and promoting financial management skills.[4]

CR17 allegations

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In August 2019, the Sunday Independent published an exposé about the use of CR17 campaign funds to reimburse politicians and strategists during the campaign. The newspaper claimed to have seen leaked campaign records that showed, among other things, that R5 million had been paid to Ntshavheni through a company called Phore Farms, where she had formerly been managing director.[12] A follow-up report claimed further that Ntshavheni had used a portion of the money to buy a luxury car and build a mansion in Thohoyandou for her mother. Other portions of the money had allegedly been used to pay local party branches against the elections.[16]

Ntshavheni strongly denied the allegation that she had used the campaign funds for personal benefit, which her spokesperson called "mere rumour-mongering".[17] Among other things, Ntshavheni said that the Thohoyandou house had been in the family since 2010 and that she had not bought any new cars since 2016.[17] In respect of allusions to a sexual relationship between her and Risimati Hlongwane, a CR17 coordinator in Vhembe, she accused the newspaper of patriarchal "gutter journalism";[18] and she strongly rejected suggestions[19] that she had been nominated to Parliament as "as a reward for her work in the CR17 campaign".[18] Eyewitness News additionally quoted Ntshavheni expressing frustration about the media attention she had received; she apparently said:

Why am I being targeted? I'm not the only one who received money from the campaign and I've declared that I worked for the campaign and the campaign must be funded. Why is the focus on Khumbudzo Ntshavheni only? Why is the focus not on all other people?[20]

Acting Minister in the Presidency

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On 27 January 2021, Ntshavheni was appointed as acting Minister in the Presidency after the death of Minister Jackson Mthembu.[21] She acted in the position, in parallel to her small business responsibilities, until Mondli Gungubele was appointed permanently in August.[22] In the aftermath of the July 2021 civil unrest in South Africa, government communications were centralised under Ntshavheni, with all ministers required to consult her office on related media statements.[23]

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies: 2021–2023

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On 5 August 2021, President Ramaphosa announced a cabinet reshuffle, appointing Ntshavheni as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies.[24] She traded portfolios with Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who became Minister of Small Business Development, and Philly Mapulane was appointed as her deputy.[22] As minister, Ntshavheni oversaw preparations for South Africa's long-delayed digital migration.[25]

Zondo Commission findings

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In early 2022, Ntshavheni was named in the second volume of the report of the Zondo Commission, which investigated alleged state capture in South Africa over the preceding decade. Ntshavheni was mentioned in connection with her term on the Denel board, and particularly her participation in the board's decision to suspend and fire three Denel executives in 2015. The commission concluded that the executives' dismissal was intended to "remove an obstruction" to the Gupta family in their conspiracy to capture Denel, and it also concluded that Denel board members had probably misconducted themselves.[26] Commission chairperson Raymond Zondo recommended that the board members, including Ntshavheni, should be investigated further by law enforcement, "with a view to possible prosecutions".[27]

Ntshavheni disagreed with the report's findings and said that she had done nothing wrong. In a statement, she said:

I wish to put it on public record, as I have recorded it with the commission, that I have never met any of the Gupta brothers or any of their associates. I was never lobbied for the decisions I supported or opposed as a non-executive member of the Denel board of directors. I discharged my fiduciary responsibilities with vigour, integrity and in line with the required legislative and regulatory prescripts. I have never been party to any alleged acts of fraud, corruption, maladministration and state capture.[28]

The following week, while briefing the National Council of Provinces, Ntshavheni said that she felt compelled to address the report, saying, "I need to indicate I will co-operate with any investigation that is being undertaken by the president. I also need to indicate that there has been no specific finding against me".[29]

Election to the National Executive Committee

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In June 2022, Ntshavheni was elected to return to the Limpopo ANC's Provincial Executive Committee.[22] In December that year, she attended the party's 55th National Conference, where she was elected to the ANC National Executive Committee. She received 1,204 votes across roughly 4,000 ballots, making her the 50th-most popular of the 80 candidates elected to the committee.[30] She was also narrowly elected to the National Working Committee.[31] She supported Ramaphosa's re-election bid at the same elective conference,[32] and she continued to be viewed as a member of Ramaphosa's "inner circle".[33]

Minister in the Presidency: 2023–present

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Ntshavheni returned to the presidency in another reshuffle, announced by Ramaphosa on 6 March 2023; she was appointed to succeed Gungubele as Minister in the Presidency, with Nomasonto Motaung and Kenneth Morolong as her deputies.[34] Her responsibilities include political oversight of the State Security Agency.[32][35]

Personal life

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Ntshavheni has children.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Khumbudzo Phophi Silence Ntshavheni, Ms". South African Government. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Mavuso, Sihle (30 May 2019). "What you need to know about the new ministers in Ramaphosa's Cabinet". Independent. Retrieved on 28 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "New generation of politicians step up to the big table". Sunday Times. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Stone, Setumo (3 June 2019). "New minister knows all about small business". City Press. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Audit report lifts lid on Sita suspensions". Star. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Telecoms dept spends R15m on exec payouts". ITWeb. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  7. ^ van Zyl, Gareth (3 August 2015). "Post Office settlement costs hit R5m". News24. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  8. ^ "BEE verification to fall under dti". Independent. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. ^ "New Board of Denel appointed". South African Government News Agency. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  10. ^ "ANCYL task team appointed". Independent. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Additionals on ANC's new provincial executive announced". Polokwane Observer. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b Rampedi, Piet; Wa Afrika, Mzilikazi; Ngoepe, Karabo (11 August 2019). "How the CR17 campaign funds were channelled". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Khumbudzo Ntshavheni". People's Assembly. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  14. ^ Cilliers, Charles (29 May 2019). "These are the ministers in Cyril Ramaphosa's new cabinet of 28 ministries". The Citizen. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Unionists, women and an alleged smuggler? Who's who in Ramaphosa's Cabinet". The Mail & Guardian. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  16. ^ "More CR17 campaign skeletons". Sunday Independent. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  17. ^ a b Lekabe, Thapelo (19 August 2019). "Claims I abused CR17 funds based on malice – Ntshavheni". EWN. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  18. ^ a b Grobler, Riaan (20 August 2019). "Reports that Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni used R5m CR17 money to buy car, mansion 'based on malice'". News24. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Cosatu owns up on CR17 campaign cash". Independent. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  20. ^ Felix, Jason (20 August 2019). "Ntshavheni: I'm not the only one who received money from CR17 campaign". EWN. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  21. ^ Khoza, Amanda (27 January 2021). "Khumbudzo Ntshavheni appointed acting minister in the presidency". Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Ramaphosa's cabinet reshuffle – who's in, who's out?". News24. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Ntshavheni takes charge of government communication after ministers' public spat over unrest". Independent. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Meet the first SA Digital Tech Minister with tech experience". Independent. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  25. ^ "South Africa is ready for digital migration, says Minister Ntshavheni". SABC News. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  26. ^ Gerber, Jan (5 February 2022). "Minister Ntshavheni sticks to her guns about Denel directorship, despite state capture findings". News24. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  27. ^ AmaShabalala, Mawande (2 February 2022). "Khumbudzo Ntshavheni in Zondo's firing line over Denel dismissals". Sunday Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  28. ^ AmaShabalala, Mawande (4 February 2022). "Ntshavheni responds to Zondo report: 'I was never lobbied for decisions I supported or opposed'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  29. ^ Gerber, Jan (15 February 2022). "Ntshavheni says State Capture Commission named her without 'due regard to matters'". News24. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  30. ^ "Full list: ANC NEC members". eNCA. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  31. ^ "Ramaphosa consolidates control over ANC with clean sweep in national working committee". The Mail & Guardian. 29 January 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  32. ^ a b "Ramaphosa bolsters his presidency in cabinet reshuffle". The Mail & Guardian. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Vote-getters and loyalists predominate". Africa Confidential. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  34. ^ "President Cyril Ramaphosa: New members of National Executive". South African Government. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  35. ^ Merten, Marianne (19 May 2023). "SSA as bulwark for SA security and sovereignty, says Ntshavheni — but MPs point to missing cash, tools and laws". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
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Political offices
Preceded by Minister in the Presidency
2023–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies
2021–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Small Business Development
2019–2021 		Succeeded by
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