Who is SA's 13th comms minister?

Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, SA's 13th minister of communications.

---

In a move that will see many breathing a sigh of relief, president Cyril Ramaphosa has merged the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) and the Department of Communications into one unified ministry, headed by Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The move follows Ramaphosa's promises to trim government spending, and cut back on the departments created by former president Jacob Zuma.

But who is Ndabeni-Abrahams?

She was appointed deputy DTPS minister in March 2017, under minister Siyabonga Cwele. Prior to that, she served as deputy minister of communications for over five years.

According to an official government site, she was born in Sakhela Village in Mthatha and has been an African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament since 2009.

She was a member of the ANC Youth League National Executive Committee and member of the North West Committee from 2008 to 2010, after which she became a committee member for portfolios: Communications, Defence, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Intelligence and the ANC Parliamentary Caucus Sub-Committee on Political Education.

Ndabeni-Abrahams is the 13^th minister, depending on how one counts, to head this ministry, which has been plagued by a series of scandals since its inception.