Khumbudzo Phophi Silence Ntshavheni (born 30 January 1977) is a South African politician serving as

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies (formerly Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Broadcasting and Minister of Communications and Telecommunications) is a Minister in the Government of South Africa, responsible for over ...

within the

National Assembly of South Africa The National Assembly is the directly elected house of the Parliament of South Africa, located in Cape Town, Western Cape. It consists of four hundred members who are elected every five years using a party-list proportional representation syste ...

. She served as Minister of Small Business Development from 2019 to 2021. She is a member of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

Early life and education

Ntshavheni was born in the town of

Sibasa Sibasa is a village in Limpopo Province, South Africa and the former capital city of the Venda bantustan. When Venda was declared independent in 1979, the capital was moved to Ṱhohoyanḓou. Town 72 km north-north-east of Louis Trichardt ...

in the

Transvaal Province The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...

. Her mother worked in the taxi industry, while her father owned a general dealer's store. She matriculated at Mbilwi Secondary School and obtained an MBA degree from

Bradford University The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 2008. Her other qualifications include a BA Hons degree in Development Studies and a BA Hon degree in Labour Relations, both degrees achieved from the

Rand Afrikaans University The Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) was a prominent South African institution of higher education and research that served the greater Johannesburg area and surroundings from 1967 to 2004. It has since merged with the Technikon Witwatersrand ...

.Mvumvu, Zingisa
New generation of politicians step up to the big table
''TimesLIVE'', 2 June 2019 Retrieved on 28 June 2019.

Career

She has work experience in the fields of Strategic Management, Information Technology, Change Management, and Communication and Marketing. She is also the founding Director and Chairwoman of Nkho Trading. Ntshavheni served as the Municipal Manager of the

Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality is located in the Mopani District Municipality of Limpopo province, South Africa. The seat of Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality is Phalaborwa. Main places The 2011 census divided the municipality into the following ...

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

from 2008 to 2010. She previously served as the Tourism Manager at Trade and Investment Limpopo, Chief Information Officer for the Limpopo Provincial Department of Local Government and Housing, and Spokesperson for the

Premier of Limpopo The Premier of Limpopo is the head of government of Limpopo province of South Africa. The current Premier of Limpopo is Stanley Mathabatha, a member of the African National Congress, who was appointed in July 2013. He took office on 18 July 201 ...

. She was also a lecturer at the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

and Chief Operating Officer at the State Information Technology Agency (SITA). In July 2015, she was appointed to the Board of Denel by Public Enterprises Minister

Lynne Brown Lynne Brown (born 26 September 1961) is a South African politician who is a former Minister of Public Enterprises and former Premier of the Western Cape Province. She was born in Cape Town and grew up in Mitchells Plain. She was appointed Premie ...

, in the role of non-executive director. Ntshavheni is a member of the African National Congress Youth League's National Executive Committee (NEC). She is an active participant in many structures related to the interests of youths and the community. During April 2013, Ntshavheni was one of 22 persons appointed to an ANC National Task Team, tasked with rebuilding the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) structures from branch, regional and provincial levels. Following her election to the National Assembly in May 2019, President

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...

appointed her to the post of Minister of Small Business Development. After the death of the Minister in the Presidency: Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation,

Jackson Mthembu Jackson Mphikwa Mthembu (5 June 1958 – 21 January 2021) was a South African politician who served as Minister in the Presidency of South Africa's government, and as a parliamentarian for the African National Congress (ANC). Previously, he ser ...

, in January 2021, Ntshavheni was appointed as his acting successor. During a cabinet reshuffle on 5 August 2021, president Ramaphosa announced that

Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams (born 30 June 1978) is a South African politician and the Minister of Small Business Development in the cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa. She previously served as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and ...

and Ntshavheni would exchange ministerial positions.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ntshavheni, Khumbudzo 1977 births Living people South African Venda people Members of the National Assembly of South Africa Government ministers of South Africa Women government ministers of South Africa African National Congress politicians Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa