Siphiwe Nyanda

General Siphiwe Nyanda SSA SBS CSL DMG MMS MMM (born 1950) is a South African politician, former Minister of Communications from 2009 - 2010 and South African military commander.

Military career
He joined Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress, in 1974, and served as a field commander during the liberation struggle against the South African government in the 1980s. He was appointed MK Chief of Staff in 1992, and served on the Transitional Executive Council which oversaw the change of government in 1994.

Maj Gen Nyanda transferred to the South African National Defence Force, into which MK was incorporated in 1994, and served successively as Chief of Defence Force Staff (1994-1996), General Officer Commanding Gauteng Command (1996-1997), Deputy Chief of the SANDF (1997-1998), and Chief of the SANDF (1998-2005).

Awards and decorations
In 1999 General Nyanda was awarded the Order of the Star of South Africa (Gold)

Performance as Communications Minister
Nyanda was a controversial figure throughout the 18 months that he was minister of communications. Dubbed the “minister of luxury” by South Africa’s Mail & Guardian, Nyanda was alleged to have spent hundreds of thousands of rands living in a luxurious Cape Town hotel throughout his tenure because he was unhappy with the ministerial house appointed to him.

At the same time as the allegations surrounding his living arrangements came to light, Nyanda’s private business was under scrutiny. A company, in which Nyanada’s family owned 45%, called GNS Risk Management Services (subsequently renamed Abalozi Security Risk Advisory Services) was accused of impropriety in a tender process in March 2010. Amongst its numerous clients were several parastatals, including Transnet Freight Rail, passenger train company Metrorail, state bus company Autopax, and the Gauteng provincial government.

It later emerged that Transnet Freight Rail had been involved in the awarding of tenders without following the correct procedures. Amongst the tenders that were questioned was one security contract valued at ZAR55million, awarded to GNS Risk Management Services. Transnet’s CEO, Siyabonga Gama, was dismissed when the allegations came to light. However, Nyanda was not reprimanded.

In October 2010, Nyanda came under fire for the suspension of communications ministry director general Mamodupi Mohlala. It was reported that in July 2010, on the day that Nyanda axed Mohlala, she had reported tender irregularities worth ZAR70 million to the police for a fraud investigation and had reportedly called for disciplinary action against several senior civil servants.

Nyanda fervently denied the allegations, labeling them “false, spurious and malicious”. However, shortly after the story regarding the removal of Mohlala came out, Nyanda was removed from his position in the Ministry of Communications. Despite the numerous suggestions of political impropriety, Nyanda was subsequently appointed as a parliamentary counselor to President Jacob Zuma, a position he holds today.