Jackson Mthembu

During an interview with Newzroom Afrika on 26 April 2020, the minister mistakenly said “vibrators” instead of “ventilators” while explaining what equipment hospitals will need in preparation for the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mthembu is married to Thembi Mthembu. He has six children. One of their children, 25-year-old Nokhwezi Mthembu committed suicide on 20 March 2019 at their Pelican Park parliamentary village home in Cape Town.

On 28 November 2017, Mthembu was criticized by some of the ANC colleagues that he intentionally "colluded" with the DA to schedule a debate on state capture in Parliament. Mthembu has been seen to have deliberately defied President Jacob Zuma and his own colleagues in the ANC caucus who had already called for a more inclusive process to investigate state capture.

Jackson Mthembu (born 5 June 1958 in Witbank, Nkangala District Municipality) is the Minister in the Presidency of South Africa's government, and parliamentarian for the African National Congress (ANC). Previously, he served as the Whip of Parliament for the ruling ANC and as well as the national spokesperson for the ANC. He served as the MEC for Transport in Mpumalanga from 1997–1999, during which he was criticized for spending R2.3 million on ten BMWs.

Mthembu was born in Ackerville, Witbank, Emalahleni Local Municipality, in the Mpumalanga province on 5 June 1958. His mother was the late Gogo Nantoni Mthembu who died at the age of 79 on 25 February 2018. Gogo Nantoni was buried during a funeral service attended by deputy president David Mabuza who thanked her role in raising a political figure like Jackson