Nkhensani Kubayi-Ngubane has been appointed as the new minister of tourism by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and she has to replace Derek Hanekom. She was the Minister of Science and Technology from 27 February 2018 and the Minister of Communications from 17 October 2017 to 26 February 2018.
She is a Member of Parliament of the African National Congress (ANC), and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services. She is also a member of the ANC Youth League and member of the Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee Ms Kubayi-Ngubane matriculated in 1997. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vista University (2000) and a Project Management Diploma from Damelin (2002).
She served as the Whip of Parliamentary Committee on Basic and Higher Education and Training, and also served on the Standing Committee on Appropriations. Ms Kubayi-Ngubane was the Minister of Energy of from 31 March to 16 October 2017
The new minister of tourism is a down to earth person. In 2017 she told News 24 about her admiration for former president Zuma’s leadership style: “I’m also a bit of a traditionalist. It shapes my identity … When he arrived in power, we could relate to him.”
Her upbringing as one of five in an impoverished household in Meadowlands Zone 10, Soweto, frames her complexities.
