Ms Mmamoloko "Nkhensani" Kubayi

National Assembly
Minister of Human Settlements
Party: African National Congress

Profile

Mmamoloko "Nkhensani" Kubayi is the Minister of Human Settlements and a Member of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. She is the Co-Chairperson of Economic Sectors, Employment and Infrastructure Development (ESEID) cluster, a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC) - the highest decision making body between conferences - and the current Chairperson of the ANC’s Economic Transformation sub-committee.

Before her current role, she served as a Minister in five portfolios: Tourism, Science and Technology, Communications and Energy. She also acted as a Minister of Health at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kubayi started her career as a Community Developer in the non-governmental sector and subsequently joined the financial sector at First National Bank as a Skills Development Specialist. Later, she worked in the Business Banking Division at Nedbank.

She joined the public sector as a Skills Development Facilitator at the National Health Laboratory Services. She was then recruited to become a director in the Office of the then Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. She later became the Parliamentary Advisor to then-Deputy President of South Africa, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe.

As a leader, Kubayi served as Chairperson of the Transport Portfolio Committee at the City of Johannesburg council. In 2009, she became a Member of Parliament, assuming several roles, including Acting Deputy Chief Whip of African National Congress and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Johannesburg (formerly Vista University), a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management from Damelin College, a Masters Degree in Public and Development Management from the University of the Witwatersrand, and completed a Programme for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School. She is currently pursuing her PhD in state-owned enterprises and corporate governance at the University of Johannesburg.

Kubayi served a full term in 2019 as a member of the Global Artificial Intelligence Council established by the World Economic Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As part of the Council, she and other global leaders provided strategic guidance to the international community on priorities for Artificial Intelligence, machine learning governance, cooperation, and shaping global policy development.

In 2020, Kubayi joined other global leaders as a member of the Forum's Global Future Council on Sustainable Tourism -  a multi-stakeholder knowledge network tasked to advance innovative thinking for a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future.