Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni briefed the media in Pretoria on Thursday.
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Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni briefed the media in Pretoria on Thursday. Ntshavheni said the suspension of Inspector-General of Intelligence Imtiaz Fazel will not disrupt intelligence services. Cabinet expressed concerns over political unrest in Madagascar,condemned the conflict in Sudan,and supported steps towards peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has assured South Africans that the suspension of Inspector-General of Intelligence Imtiaz Fazel will not disrupt operations within intelligence services.
“The Inspector-General is an oversight body and is not one person. There is a full office. Intelligence structures are different from the Inspector-General,so they are fully operational and coordinated whether it is Crime Intelligence,State Security or Defence Intelligence,” the minister said.
Speaking during a post-Cabinet briefing in Pretoria on Thursday,Ntshavheni briefly addressed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to suspend Fazel following a lodged complaint.
In a statement late on Wednesday evening,Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Fazel was suspended pending an investigation into his conduct by Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.
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Ntshavheni said she could not say more on the matter.
“Indeed,the Presidency has announced that the Inspector-General of Intelligence has been placed on suspension because the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence has initiated an investigation against him,and the statement of the Presidency clarified the conditions under which the Inspector-General of Intelligence can be suspended.”
READ | Ramaphosa suspends Inspector-General of Intelligence Imtiaz Fazel following complaintOn allegations made against certain ministers at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into the South African Police Service,Ntshavheni said her Cabinet colleagues were not immune to allegations being levelled against them.
“The president has acted. He has constituted a commission of inquiry to [investigate] the veracity of the allegations: the fact that an allegation is made does not necessarily mean that you are guilty.”
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She added:
That is why there is an inquiry or an investigation that is under way to confirm or dispel the veracity of those things... Government does not work on rumour mills; it must work on facts. That’s what our justice system and fairness require,and the Constitution provides for.
On the international front,Ntshavheni said the Cabinet noted with concern the recent political unrest in Madagascar,which has led to loss of lives and destruction of property.
She said the Cabinet called for calm and for all people and role players to seek a peaceful resolution to the stalemate in a manner that upholds the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
On US President Donald Trump’s Israeli-Palestine Peace Plan,Ntshavheni said the development paved the way to end the devastating conflict in Gaza and aligned with Pretoria’s longstanding commitment to global peace,justice,and freedom for the people of Palestine.
Minister in The Presidency,@Khu_Ntshavheni,briefing the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday,15 October 2025.
READ THE FULL CABINET STATEMENT HERE: https://t.co/iRpvaAtVAQ#PostCabinet #GovZAupdates pic.twitter.com/TZUhzXvHef
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) October 16,2025
“South Africa urges all parties to honour the negotiated steps and pursue a credible and inclusive political process that will bring an end to the humanitarian crisis and prevent further loss of lives.
“Cabinet further welcomed the commencement of the implementation of Phase 1 of the peace plan with the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian political prisoners.”
The government continued to advocate for a complete end of the occupation of Gaza and other Palestinian territories,she said.
Additionally,she said:
Cabinet also welcomed the safe return of six South African humanitarian activists who participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla,a mission aimed at delivering food and medical supplies to Gaza.
“Cabinet calls for an immediate ceasefire,unimpeded humanitarian access,and safe evacuation of civilians from active conflict zones.”
Cabinet also condemned the continued conflict in the Sudan that has recently resulted in the killing of an estimated 60 civilians,of which 17 were children,by the Rapid Support Forces on 9 October 2025 in El Fasher,the capital of North Darfur in Sudan.
On health matters,the Cabinet extended its condolences to the governments and the people of Zimbabwe and Malawi on the loss of 43 lives of their nationals who died in a bus accident along the N1 North in Makhado,Limpopo,on Sunday.
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She said the Cabinet was saddened to note that the accident was unnecessary and preventable if road traffic regulations were adhered to and enforced.
Furthermore,the minister said the Cabinet expressed its disappointment with buckets of antiretroviral drugs and other prescription medications that were discovered among the wreckage of the bus with no documentation for medical cargo.
READ | IGI recommended criminal charges against Masemola,Khumalo over R120m CI property purchases
“A full-scale investigation has been launched,and law enforcement agencies are also treating this accident as a potential case of pharmaceutical smuggling. Cabinet calls on foreign nationals to be well-mannered guests in South Africa and reminds everyone that it took a lot of effort to stop the recent unsavoury treatment meted out against foreign nationals at local clinics.
“Unfortunately,the proof that confirms brazen theft of medicines from government clinics does not assist efforts to restore conditions for foreign nationals to access public health care.”
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