Following the 2019 general election, Nkonyeni returned to the KwaZulu-Natal legislature and was appointed MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works.
[1] In November 2004, premier S'bu Ndebele reshuffled his Executive Council and appointed Nkonyeni as the MEC responsible for the provincial Department of Health.
She denounced the World Health Organization (WHO) for not providing "a clear message on the role of nutrition in delaying the progression of HIV to AIDS" in 2005.
In December 2008, Nkonyeni and five others were arrested by the Scorpions and charged with corruption, fraud and racketeering involving the unneeded purchase of equipment at inflated prices.
[8] On 27 February 2018, she was sworn in as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the ANC, replacing the late Beatrice Ngcobo.
[10] On 9 March 2021, Nkonyeni was appointed MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, replacing the late Bheki Ntuli, as part of a mini reshuffle done by Zikalala.