Why Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni will have to step down after explosive revelations

The minister in charge of state security will have to step down after News24 revealed that Khumbudzo Ntshavheni is being investigated for what a judge called a “repugnant and devastating” tender awarded during her tenure as municipal manager of the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, her job before being elevated to the powerful role of minister in the presidency.

This role includes oversight of state security and government communications. She is the face of the government and the voice of the Cabinet and every week she communicates the decisions of the government of national unity Cabinet. 

While the tender amount in dispute is small, the report reveals that the Hawks have finalised their investigation and that the National Prosecuting Authority is readying charge sheets.

If this is so, then Ntshavheni has no option but to step down. For one, her predecessor in the role, Zizi Kodwa, stepped aside from his role as he set about clearing his name after being named adversely in the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture findings and being charged. Kodwa’s charges were dropped by a provincial head of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), with the decision being reviewed by NDPP Shamila Batohi. The Sunday World reported this week that Kodwa has launched legal action to review the Zondo Commission report as it pertains to him.

Second, the ANC has beefed up its step-aside rule. In his January 8 address at the party’s birthday celebration, President Cyril Ramaphosa hinted at the new rules passed by its Integrity Commission which go back to the earlier intent: cadres can’t wait to step aside until they are charged if named in adverse corruption and governance cases.

“With regard to fostering a culture of ethics and integrity, we have strengthened the terms of reference of the Integrity Commission,” said Ramaphosa. This is a key part of the party’s plan for its campaign of “renewal” which is its centrepiece proposal to regain a majority in the 2026 local government elections.  

Third, it took him a while but in December 2024 Ramaphosa reshuffled former justice minister Thembi Simelane who was implicated in the VBS Bank scandal during her tenure as Polokwane mayor. One of the reasons for this was because you can’t have a security cluster minister who might potentially face a lawsuit and to whom the NDPP reports in that role. Ntshavheni too is in a security cluster role as head of intelligence. 

The News24 report also suggests Ntshavheni was not a great municipal manager: an Auditor-General report during her tenure showed significant unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure and bad debts (R100.2-million) double those declared by the municipality.

The tender in dispute was awarded to Makwande Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors by Ba-Phalaborwa in 2009 for the preparation of municipal accounts. The outsourcing of this function has repeatedly been criticised by various Auditors-General. In November 2024, Ntshavheni said that zama zama miners trapped in the Buffelsfontein mine at Stilfontein would be “smoked out”, earning much criticism for the cruelty of her statement, as reported here by Ed Stoddard and Neesa Moodley. DM