Fikile Mbalula Says ANC Will Not Respond to Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s Corruption Allegations

• The African National Congress stands behind the Minister in the Presidency and NEC member Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
• Ntshavheni is facing allegations of corruption after it emerged that she greenlit an irregular tender in 2009 as a municipal manager
• Party Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said the party will not entertain the allegations and said it will only respond if someone is arrested

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, provided local and international political analysis and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his nine years of experience.

JOHANNESBURG—The African National Congress's (ANC) secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, said the party would not entertain allegations against member Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. Ntshavheni has been accused of fraud and corruption related to a tender in 2009.

What the ANC said about Ntshavheni

Mbalula addressed the media during a media briefing on 20 January 2025, the same day the allegations against Ntshavheni surfaced. Mbalula said there is nothing the party must respond to because nobody has been arrested. He slammed the Hawka and accused them of trying to tarnish the Minister in the Presidency's image.

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Mbalula said the Hawks' claims undermine the state's integrity and that if the Hawks have a proper case, due process must be followed. Mbalula said the leaking of the case docket meant the prospects of winning the case were thin.

What happened?

Ntshavheni has been accused of irregularly awarding a tender in 2009 when she was the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality's municipal manager. She warded the tender to a company to compile the municipality's annual financial performance. Although five companies bid for the tender, the company that received it was not on the bidding list. Political parties have called for her to step down pending an investigation into the alleged fraud and corruption.

South Africans not surprised by ANC

Netizens on Facebook were not stunned by the ANC's refusal to comment on the allegations.

Ganjaman Sensimillah said:

"All ANC ministers are involved in corruption, and nothing happens."

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Thabvo Byron Monama said:

"That's the renewal that the ANC keeps talking about."

Rodney Dodkins said:

"And this is why the ANC cannot self-correct. They don't see anything wrong with corruption."

Cobus Cilliers said:

"If you let her go, all of them must go. That's how corrupt the ANC is."

Tony Ganas said:

"This is how they roll."

Khukbudzo Ntshavheni explains "smoke out" statements

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Ntshavheni explained what she meant when she said the government would smoke the illegal miners in the Stilfontein Mine out. Her explanation came in the face of growing criticism for her choice of words.

Ntshavheni posted a screenshot of a ChatGPT-generated definition of smoke-out, which defined it as a metaphor meant to force someone out of their hiding place. South Africans were unmoved by her explanation.

Source: Briefly News