Tourism Minister Alleges Cabal Plotting to Get Her Fired

Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane has alleged that there is a cabal intent on getting her fired.

This revelation was made by the ministry’s House of Assembly Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Welcome Dlamini, during the debate of the committee’s second-quarter performance report for the 2025/26 financial year.

The heated discussion arose after Dlamini questioned why the minister failed to implement a select committee resolution to suspend or lift the ban on the use of plastic bags.

In her response, the minister stated that the portfolio committee’s recommendation was not legally binding, a statement that triggered sharp reactions from MPs.

MPs Question Minister’s Response

Kubuta MP Masiphula Mamba challenged the minister’s position, asking whose opinion it was that a resolution made by the House of Assembly was not binding.

He questioned if there was any legal Act supporting such a stance.

“I would like to get clarity on this so that in future we do not even bother electing select committees or making resolutions as Parliament,” Mamba said.

Mamba also questioned whether the House should adopt the report when it contained what he called a derogatory response from the minister.

He was supported by Hhukwini MP Alec Lushaba, who described the minister’s response as “surprising but consistent” with previous statements from the ministry regarding the plastic bag ban issue.

Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane also expressed disappointment, saying the response implied that Parliament was powerless.

“Select committees do their job using taxpayers’ money, and such a response means we are useless as a House,” said Zwane.

Report Adoption Contested

MPs debated whether to adopt the report. Zwane suggested they should not adopt it unless a strict recommendation was made for the minister to issue a national statement within three days addressing the plastic ban.

Ngudzeni MP Charles Ndlovu strongly opposed adopting the report.

Deputy Prime Minister Thuli Dladla advised that failure by the Executive to implement House recommendations should be referred to the Government Assurance Committee (GAC). She questioned whether the GAC was functioning.

Speaker for the day, Madala Mhlanga, assured MPs that the GAC existed and would summon the minister to account for not implementing the resolution.

Attorney General Weighs In

Attorney General (AG) Sifiso Khumalo provided legal clarity, explaining that there was a difference between an Act of Parliament and a House resolution.

He said while an Act of Parliament is legally binding, a House resolution is not.
However, he stressed that a resolution was politically binding, and the Executive was compelled to implement it.

“A House resolution does not carry the same effect as a law, however, it is still politically binding because MPs represent the will of the people,” Khumalo explained.

He added that if the Executive could not implement a resolution for legitimate reasons, the responsible minister should address the House and explain.

Minister Alleges Cabal Plot

The debate took a dramatic turn when Portfolio Committee Chairperson Welcome Dlamini made his closing remarks.

He thanked colleagues and the AG for their insights but admitted he was confused by the minister’s response.

“Nami ngisangene ngale mphendvulo, I have never seen such a response ever,” he said.

Dlamini disclosed that he had received a call from the minister, who allegedly said she did not know where the response came from and that there was a cabal out to get her fired.

“When I learnt about this, I called the Speaker’s office to try and withdraw the report but was told it was too late, as the reports had already been tabled,” Dlamini told the House.

MP Manzi Zwane then asked whether this meant the response being debated did not come from the minister. Dlamini replied that he was only relaying what the minister told him.

He requested to amend the report by removing the minister’s response since the matter had already been referred to the GAC. However, some MPs opposed this, questioning how much the minister was unaware of regarding the report.

Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development Sikhumbuzo Dlamini suggested the entire report be withdrawn, amended, and re-debated at another sitting.

The Attorney General confirmed this was possible since the report had not been adopted yet, but Deputy Speaker Mhlanga advised against withdrawal.

In the end, the report was deferred at the voting stage, meaning it will be re-tabled and debated in the future.