Muvhango creator among nominees who will no longer receive national orders

The names of three prominent figures have been removed from the list of those who will receive national orders.

The Presidency on Sunday announced the withdrawal of nominations from the national orders list for Duma Ndlovu, Freek Robinson and Mike Horne.

This comes after there were objections to their nominations.

The withdrawal has cut down the list to 32 names.

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“Following objections from various sectors of society and on the recommendation of the National Orders Advisory Council [NOAC], President Cyril Ramaphosa has accepted the withdrawal of three nominees who were nominated to receive respective orders, in a ceremony scheduled to take place on Friday, from the list of 35 chosen recipients to be conferred,” Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said in a statement.

National orders are the highest awards that the president bestows on citizens and eminent foreign nationals.

“To uphold the integrity of national orders, the NOAC, will further adopt measures to strengthen the selection process. These measures include a workshop which will be undertaken by council members at the end of April. Timelines of the selection process will also be reviewed,” the statement further reads.

Ndlovu was set to be honoured for his work in the television and film industry, while veteran broadcaster Robinson was also due to receive an award for his contribution to journalism.

‘We are happy’

The ANC Veterans’ League has since welcomed Ndlovu’s withdrawal from the list.

“The team that puts the national orders together responded positively to our request.

“All that we are saying is that this is one of the most prestigious awards and including people like Duma Ndlovu is uncalled for and denting the integrity of the awards.

“We are happy that the president acted swiftly and we commend him for that,” ANC Veterans League president Snuki Zikalala told SowetanLive.

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The league had written to the Presidency asking that the TV and film producer’s name be removed from the list of recipients of the order of Ikhamanga due to his alleged links to state capture.

Ndlovu, who has produced shows such as Muvhango, Uzalo and Imbewu: The Seed, was accused of being involved in the collapse and capture of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) under former president Jacob Zuma’s administration.

State capture

In 2021, the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture heard evidence that a company owned by Ndlovu helped facilitate engagements with Zuma and other government official.

Ambrobrite, which is an events company Ndlovu and Mandla KaNozulu, had a contract with global management consulting firm Bain & Company despite not having a background history or tax certificate.

Bain was banned from tendering government contracts for a period of 10 years until September 2032, by the National Treasury last year.

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