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In a shocking revelation, Ntshavheni claimed that the security cluster had identified potential risks of a coup in the country.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. Picture: GCIS
The Walter and Albertina Sisulu Foundation has criticised Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni’s claim that South Africa’s security services had detected a potential coup d’état.
The foundation said such remarks are “deeply irresponsible, dangerous, and, in the current political climate, reckless in the extreme.”
Coup
In a shocking revelation on Tuesday, Ntshavheni claimed that the security cluster had identified potential risks of a coup in the country.
Ntshavheni said the State Security Agency (SSA) and all relevant law enforcement agencies are actively working to prevent any uprisings or violent protests, similar to those seen during the July 2021 unrest.
‘Irresponsible’
The Walter and Albertina Sisulu Foundation slammed Ntshavheni, saying the coup claims are “irresponsible, dangerous and damaging to South Africa’s democracy.”
“To utter such claims on the parliamentary record—without presenting evidence, without public briefing, and without accountability—is not merely careless; it verges on fearmongering by executive design.
“Let’s be clear: this statement was made in the immediate aftermath of the suspension, on paid leave, of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, a key ally of President Ramaphosa, whose name has become entangled in serial allegations of political interference and suppression of forensic investigations,” the foundation claimed.
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‘Damning’
The foundation claimed the timing of Ntshavheni’s statement is “damning.”
“It arrives just as public scrutiny of the president’s handling of the police crisis reaches fever pitch. The appointment of a non-MP acting police minister (within his powers), the creation of yet another judicial commission (the fifth of his presidency), and the president’s silence on Phala Phala have already enraged citizens. No wonder trust is collapsing.
“Ntshavheni’s coup narrative functions as a classic deflection tactic—to distract public and parliamentary attention from real accountability questions. Instead of answers, we get an unverified claim of a coup attempt, floated in the most public forum of the land, then immediately dropped with no follow-up.” It said.
Parliament must act
The foundation said Parliament has a duty to act against Ntshavheni.
Ntshavheni must be held accountable for her statements. If she has the intelligence to substantiate her remarks, she must provide it.
“If she does not, then her words should be withdrawn—and censured. The legislature must reclaim its oversight function and reassert the supremacy of constitutional order over political theatre,” the foundation said.
The foundation said South Africans have a right to “demand better: truth, transparency, and constitutional accountability. Not paranoia, not spin, not distraction. And certainly not ministers weaponising fear from the floor of Parliament.”
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