Meet SA’s new small business minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni [Updated]

The former chief operating officer (COO) for the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) Khumbudzo Ntshavheni was yesterday appointed as Minister of Small Business Development, by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ntshavheni joins a downsized cabinet of 28 ministers, which were cut from 36 under Ramaphosa’s former cabinet.

She succeeds Lindiwe Zulu, who served as the country’s first small business minister. Zulu, who was much criticised during her five-year tenure for her department’s poor performance in assisting small businesses, has been moved to a post as minister of social development.

The new deputy minister of small business development is Rosemary Capa.

The Department of Small Business Development’s director of communications Sharlene Packree told Ventureburn in a call today that the department is expected to welcome the new minister to her post today.

While Packaree could not immediately provide details of the new minister, including her curriculum vitae, a report in the Sunday Times on 2 June, pointed out that Ntshavheni, 42, is a farmer and has run several small businesses and once owned a wholesaler, while her father once owned a general dealer’s store.

Ntshavheni’s LinkedIn profile states that she served as the chief operating officer for SITA from 2010 to the present.

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni was yesterday appointed as Minister of Small Business Development

Ntshavheni’s role involved her managing and offering strategic direction of the business operations of SITA, including delivering business value to clients while maintaining financial sustainability, says her profile.

In 2014, according to an IOL report at the time, Ntshavheni was placed on precautionary suspension along with three other SITA officials, following an independent forensic audit report into the irregular awarding of a contract to a consortium led by ICT Works.

In 2015 Ntshavheni was given a R1.9-million golden handshake from the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services. This, according to a report by the Sunday Independent, which cited a Parliamentary response from the department’s then minister, Siyabonga Cwele.

She previously also served as the municipal manager of Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality from 2008 to 2010. Prior to this she was tourism manager at the Tourism Investment Trade and Investment Limpopo in 2006 and 2007.

According to a page on education trust Bokamoso Barona’s website where she is a trustee, Ntshavheni is a member of the ANC Youth League’s national executive committee (NEC) and is active in several youth and community structures

She holds a MBA degree from Bradford University in the UK (2008), a BA Hons Development Studies (1999) and BA Hon Labour Relations (1999) both from the University of Johannesburg.

She is also the founding director and chairwoman of Nkho Trading, a transport business with interests in property development.

Editor’s note (3 June 2019): According to a report in the Sunday Times on 2 June, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni is a farmer and has run several small businesses and once owned a wholesaler, while her father once owned a general dealer’s store. The initial story has been updated to reflect this.

(30 May 2019): The initial article was updated to reflect that in 2015 Ntshavheni was given a R1.9-million golden handshake from the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services. This, according to a report by the Sunday Independent, which cited a Parliamentary response from the department’s then minister, Siyabonga Cwele.

Featured image: Minister of Small Business Development Khumbudzo Ntshavheni (via Facebook)