Khumbudzo Phophi Silence Ntshavheni (born 30 January 1977) is a South African politician who is currently serving as Minister in the Presidency since March 2023.

[1] In her retelling, she met Nelson Mandela as a 14-year-old, during the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, and attempted to persuade him to support a lower voting age of 16.

[1] She began her career as a junior lecturer at the University of South Africa and then entered the public service as spokesperson to the Premier of Limpopo, Ngoako Ramatlhodi.

[9] Her tenure on the board coincided with a tumultuous period at Denel, under the chairmanship of Daniel Mantsha, which was later the subject of public inquiries (see below).

[1] While she pursued her career in business and public administration, Ntshavheni was an active member of the African National Congress (ANC), the governing party of South Africa.

[11] Ahead of the ANC's 54th National Conference in December 2017, Ntshavheni was recruited to Cyril Ramaphosa's winning party presidential campaign, nicknamed CR17.

[3] She said that she viewed her new position as "an opportunity to do for SMEs what I wished someone did for my business", including by reducing red tape, expanding market access, and promoting financial management skills.

The newspaper claimed to have seen leaked campaign records that showed, among other things, that R5 million had been paid to Ntshavheni through a company called Phore Farms, where she had formerly been managing director.

[12] A follow-up report claimed further that Ntshavheni had used a portion of the money to buy a luxury car and build a mansion in Thohoyandou for her mother.

[17] In respect of allusions to a sexual relationship between her and Risimati Hlongwane, a CR17 coordinator in Vhembe, she accused the newspaper of patriarchal "gutter journalism";[18] and she strongly rejected suggestions[19] that she had been nominated to Parliament as "as a reward for her work in the CR17 campaign".

[22] In the aftermath of the July 2021 civil unrest in South Africa, government communications were centralised under Ntshavheni, with all ministers required to consult her office on related media statements.

[23] On 5 August 2021, President Ramaphosa announced a cabinet reshuffle, appointing Ntshavheni as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies.

[25] In early 2022, Ntshavheni was named in the second volume of the report of the Zondo Commission, which investigated alleged state capture in South Africa over the preceding decade.

[26] Commission chairperson Raymond Zondo recommended that the board members, including Ntshavheni, should be investigated further by law enforcement, "with a view to possible prosecutions".

[28]The following week, while briefing the National Council of Provinces, Ntshavheni said that she felt compelled to address the report, saying, "I need to indicate I will co-operate with any investigation that is being undertaken by the president.