SCORE: C

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s tenure in 2024 saw legislative advancements, including the tabling of the Public Service Amendment Bill and Public Administration Management Amendment Bill, aimed at restructuring South Africa’s public service. These efforts align with her vision of a professional public sector, which she promised in her 2024 budget speech. Operation Vulindlela, which gained momentum this year, has helped create temporary jobs through the support of initiatives such as the Presidential Employment Stimulus. The auditor general’s report has noted that these initiatives have created more than 250  000 short-term jobs in the last quarter. But she had faced much criticism over her controversial and harsh comments on illegal miners trapped in the abandoned Stilfontein mine shaft in North West, when she suggested that they should be “smoked out”. This drew a backlash from unions and legal experts for her insensitivity to people’s rights. The South African Human Rights Commission was approached, as were the courts. This incident, coupled with her dismissive responses to parliamentary opposition parties, as well as her handling of cases such as the rand manipulation scandal involving banks that colluded to manipulate currency exchange rates, has strained her relationship with a range of stakeholders.