The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party) has issued a call for the immediate suspension of Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the Minister in the Presidency.
This follows claims that she was involved in a corruption scandal involving an R2.5-million tender while working as a municipal manager for the Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality.
MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlhela stated that she ought to have been suspended following the conclusion of the investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and its referral to the National Prosecuting Authority.
Ndlhela claims that this is because of her crucial position, which requires the utmost integrity and objectivity and involves supervising state intelligence.
Ndhlela claimed that accountability only applied to a select few and accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of protecting political allies like Ntshavheni.
Unsuitable for any executive role
Additionally, he contended that keeping Ntshaveni in her role undermines the legitimacy of Ramaphosa’s widely praised anti-corruption programme.
“The auditor-general’s findings, coupled with the high court’s condemnation of the Ba-Phalaborwa tender process as ‘repugnant and devastating’, highlight Ntshavheni’s clear unsuitability for any executive role,” said Ndhlela.
“Moreover, they cast serious doubt on the judgement behind Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint her as minister in the first place.
“Her track record of alleged mismanagement and the impending possibility of prosecution demand urgent intervention.
“Accordingly, we call for her immediate suspension pending the court’s final determination.”
In a letter to Ramaphosa, DA MP Dianne Barnard also called for Ntshavheni to resign.
Barnard emphasised that Ntshavheni’s presence in her role erodes public confidence and harms Ramaphosa’s reputation.
“Given the seriousness of the allegations, minister Ntshavheni has a great deal to answer for,” reads the letter in part.
“It is, as you are aware, the firm view of the Democratic Alliance that no minister who is accused of corruption should retain their seat in cabinet.”
Law unto themselves
On Monday, EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said: “Ntshavheni’s role in the alleged corrupt awarding of a tender in Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality represents the foundations of what is wrong with local government in South Africa.
“This includes a lack of capacity to conduct basic functions, reliance on consultants, and the misuse of power by officials in order to influence tenders and practise corrupt activities.
“Municipal managers have become a law unto themselves in municipalities, and Ntshavheni represents the earliest generation of arrogance and flouting of laws by officials at a local government level.”
She said that Ntshavheni exemplified the “patronage that has defined Ramaphosa’s tenure as president of South Africa, as she now presides over State Security with impunity, despite all her failures and sordid corruption, while the nation fails to combat mass shootings, human trafficking, and drug trafficking under her watch”.
