She was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 5 August 2021, Ms. Stella-Tembisa Ndabeni serves as South Africa’s Minister of Small Business Development, where she drives policies to empower entrepreneurs and fuel economic inclusion. She is a dynamic leader with a passion for innovation, she previously made her mark as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, spearheading South Africa’s embrace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

She was Born in Sakhela Village, Mthatha (Eastern Cape), Minister Stella-Tembisa Ndabeni’s commitment to public service began early. She first worked for the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC) a public-private institute that serves as a think tank and advisory body that facilitates development in the Eastern Cape through research and policy advise.

Her political journey in the public service took flight in 2009 when she was elected to the National Assembly as the Member of Parliament, later serving as Whip for the Portfolio Committee on Communications, also Defence, and Intelligence committees.

He role in the executive started when she was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Communications, later Deputy Minister of Communications and Postal Services, where she championed digital equity and infrastructure development.

Bridging Policy & Digital Innovation

Ms Stella-Tembisa Ndabeni is a lifelong learner, she holds a Masters in Management in Digital Business (Wits University) which she graduated in 2024, where her research focused on financing solutions for SMMEs in the digital economy.

Her academic foundation credentials includes:

• Diploma in Telecommunications & Management Systems (Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation)
• Certificates in Telecom Policy & Project Management (Wits, Rhodes, Cranefield College)

ANC Leadership & Global Influence

She is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) since her youth having been active in the youth movement particularly the ANCYL, she continues to hold critical roles in the ANC, including:

• ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) & National Working Committee (NWC) Member
• Deputy Chairperson, Local Government Intervention Team
• Member, ANC Economic Transformation Committee

Globally, she has represented South Africa on platforms like the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and as Africa Lead for the Startup Nations Ministerial Steering Committee (GEN Africa), advancing entrepreneurship and digital inclusion.

A Legacy of Empowerment

Minister Stella-Tembisa Ndabeni remains a tireless advocate for small business growth, digital access, and youth empowerment. Whether shaping policy or engaging international stakeholders, her work is anchored in a vision of an inclusive, digitally transformed South Africa.

Joined the Democratic Alliance, previously known as the Democratic Party, in 1999. Served as a Councillor of both the Emalahleni Local Municipality and the Nkangala District Municipality from 2000 until 2014. Served as Chief Whip of Emalahleni DA Caucus from 2007 up to 2014.

Elected to the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature in 2014 and was appointed to the position of Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance caucus in the Legislature. In the fifth provincial legislature (2014–2019), she served on the Public Works & Transport, Community Safety, Security & Liaison, Health, and Social Development committees in the legislature. From 2019 to 2024, she served on the Health and Social Development, and Education, Culture, Sport and Recreation committees.

Before being elected Provincial Leader, she served as Provincial Chairperson for the Association of Democratic Alliance Councillors (ADAC) from 2005 to 2011. She was elected to the position of Provincial Deputy Leader in 2012 until 2015. In 2015, she was elected to the position of Provincial Chairperson of the party. She was elected unopposed as the Provincial Leader of the Democratic Alliance in Mpumalanga on 3 March 2018.

She was re-elected unopposed as provincial leader in October 2020.

She was re-elected to another term as the party's provincial leader at the provincial congress in February 2023. She served as the Leader of the Democratic Alliance Caucus in the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature from 2018 to 2024.

On the 14th of June 2024, she was sworn in as Member of Parliament. On the 30 June 2024, she was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Small Business Development.

Ms Manzini, is a multifaceted executive leader with more than 20 years in the Public Service. She has served the South African Government in various roles. Her experience in transforming organisations and implementing turnaround strategies has contributed positively to good corporate governance, operations and administration.

She has travelled extensively as part of various ministerial and departmental delegations in foreign missions and represented the South African government in many global platforms. Ms Manzini has served as Acting Chief Executive Officer of Brand South Africa, an organisation mandated with managing the reputation and image of the country domestically and internationally. She contributed immensely to the positive positioning of the entity and general global competitiveness of South Africa.
 

Ms Manzini was appointed at Brand South Africa while serving as Deputy Director-General for Governance and Administration in the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS), a position she has held since January 2016.She has been responsible for anchoring efficiencies in business operations by driving strategy, financial services, providing sound human capital management as well as overseeing legislative mandates. She managed the interface of business systems and operations, supply chain processes and internal controls. Her portfolio also included brand positioning and corporate identity management through the political and administrative interface of operations in the Ministry.

In 2018, the DTPS hosted a successful International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom World event in South Africa, where 180 countries were represented. She was responsible for the Department’s Communications strategy and coordinated strategic engagements to ensure the successful implementation of this prestigious event.

Her other senior and executive management roles include Acting as Director-General, Chief Operations Officer, Chief of Staff, Chief Director of Corporate Services at the Department of Public Service and Administration and Head of Corporate Services at the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA). In 2019, Ms Manzini was a finalist in the Standard Bank Top Women Awards, Top Gender Empowered Public Sector Leader category.