‘K-Word’ Arrest Exposes Rot at Stats SA Limpopo as Manager Faces Crimen Injuria Charge

Nthambeleni Mukwevho, executive manager of Stats SA Limpopo, arrested on a crimen injuria charge over alleged verbal abuse and use of the k-word against staff.

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief, The Azanian  

13 May 2026, Polokwane

POLOKWANE – The man charged with running Statistics South Africa in Limpopo is now facing criminal charges for allegedly doing the one thing he was meant to prevent: degrading and intimidating the people under him.

Nthambeleni Mukwevho, executive manager of Stats SA Limpopo, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of crimen injuria after multiple workers accused him of verbal abuse, harassment, and using the k-word during a meeting last year. He will appear in the Schoornoord Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

This is not a case of office politics gone sour. It’s a case about power, race, and the cost of leadership without accountability.

A female employee at the Sekhukhune district office says the abuse left her broken. She spent nine months in a psychiatric institution after what she describes as sustained harassment by Mukwevho. Discharged three months ago, she says she is considering readmitting herself after the abuse escalated.

“It is a criminal offence to be called a k***. I have panic attacks,” she said. “I can’t perform my duties properly because he didn’t even stop at the meeting. A week later, he came back and took some powers away from me.”

Her account is echoed by other workers who say Mukwevho called staff “rotten potatoes”, “moles”, “rubbish”, “sick people”, and “useless” during a meeting on 7 May last year. Phones were ordered out of the room so the meeting could not be recorded.

The trigger, workers say, was the employee’s attempt to discipline Mukwevho’s niece, a field worker who was allegedly making prophecies during house visits. The niece’s actions had “gotten out of hand,” the employee said. The next day, the entire team was summoned.

An internal disciplinary hearing found Mukwevho guilty of harassment, intimidation, and hate speech. Workers testified to the toxic environment and the tribal undertones that followed. 

“This has caused great discomfort and division because it has now even stretched into tribalism,” said one employee. “In that meeting, he degraded us, saying, ‘You are not superior Pedis.’ As a leader, such statements should not be uttered. No one is coping well.”

But Mukwevho appealed. At a second hearing, he was found not guilty. He argued the Sekhukhune office was in dysfunction and he was restoring discipline. He denied using the k-word as an insult, claiming it was a historical reference.For the workers, the reversal felt like betrayal. 

Stats SA’s national office says it was not aware. 

“Stats SA has, at this stage, not received any report from SAPS on any pending investigation,” spokesperson Felicia Sithole said. “In any event, Stats SA will not interfere in any SAPS investigation should we be advised of one.”

That response won’t wash. Twelve employees lodged a formal grievance. An internal hearing found their boss guilty. And yet, until police acted, nothing changed.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Rhulani Mashaba confirmed investigations are underway and the docket will go to court for a decision.

Mukwevho refused to comment before his arrest, saying he was not aware of the case against him. That claim doesn’t match the record. The workers took their complaint through the correct internal channels. The system found him guilty once.

This case matters because Stats SA is the institution South Africa relies on for data that shapes policy, budgets, and service delivery. If the people collecting that data are traumatised, divided, and afraid of their manager, the integrity of the entire process is compromised.

The k-word is not a historical footnote when used to silence and humiliate Black workers in 2026. It’s a crime. And if the allegations are proven, Mukwevho’s position at Stats SA becomes untenable.

The workers say they are still suffering. The institution says it knows nothing. The court will now decide what comes next.

But one thing is clear: no public servant, no matter how senior, is above the law or above basic decency.