She formerly served as a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) in Limpopo from 2014 to 2019, during the first full term of Premier Stan Mathabatha.
[2] While she was in this portfolio, in 2015, the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters lodged a formal complaint against her with the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, alleging that she had been involved in procurement irregularities.
The Public Protector published the report of her investigation in March 2017 and found that Mokaba-Phukwana had exceeded her legal powers by personally awarding a state forensics contract in 2014.
[3] By the time of the report's publication, Mokaba-Phukwana had become MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, a position to which she was appointed in a September 2016 reshuffle by Mathabatha.
The move was viewed as a demotion and City Press suggested that it was linked to Mokaba-Phukwana's support for incumbent ANC President Jacob Zuma against Mathabatha's ally Cyril Ramaphosa.