DA and MK Party welcome Nkabane's departure from Higher Education role

The DA and MK Party have welcomed the department of Dr Nobuhle Nkabane from the Higher Education and Training Ministry.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced late on Monday that he had appointed Buti Manamela as the new Minister of Higher Education and Training.

The decision comes after Nkabane apparently resigned from her ministerial position. While some media outlets reported that Nkabane had been fired, she released a statement prior to the announcement from the Presidency.

She expressed her gratitude to Ramaphosa for the opportunity to serve in such a critical role.

"I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, for entrusting me with the responsibility to serve as Minister of Higher Education and Training."

Minutes after her statement was released, Ramaphosa announced Manamela's appointment. He also announced that Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube, former KwaZulu-Natal premier, will serve as the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training.

The reshuffling comes as Nkabane faced intense scrutiny particularly for her alleged misleading of Parliament regarding the process of appointing chairpersons to Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) boards.

Reports emerged indicating that the list of appointees was heavily influenced by affiliations with the African National Congress (ANC), incorporating figures such as Buyambo, the son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe. Dube-Ncube had also been earmarked for a SETA board chairperson post.

While the appointments were later withdrawn, the explanation related to how a panel had recommended the names led to a furore with political parties including the DA calling for Nkabane to be fired.

Last week, Nkabane failed to appear before Parliament to account for the controversial appointments. She instead opted to attend a GBV event in the Eastern Cape.

Nkabane sent a last-minute apology to the portfolio committee, citing a gender-based violence awareness event at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training college in the Eastern Cape as the reason for her absence.

Her apology was rejected by committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie.

Letsie said after receiving the letter, he told Nkabane that he is not accepting her apology because it does not make sense for her to be absent from the meeting.

Nkabane was expected to brief members later on the SETA boards selection process.

Although Nkabane previously told MPs that the selections were made by an “independent” panel chaired by Advocate Terry Motau, Motau denied any involvement. 

Reacting to the news yesterday, the DA's national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau said Nkabane's departure came after "relentless DA pressure" in the fight against ANC corruption, wrongdoing and criminality.

"Seeing one ANC Minister depart Cabinet under storming clouds of lies, deceit, cadre deployment corruption and a Hawks Investigation is a first step to restoring our faith that the GNU will not tolerate corruption.

"Our demand to President Ramaphosa was for him to take action against the seriously compromised, corrupt and nefarious in the ANC, and the firing of Nkabane is the first step for him," Khakhau said.

The DA lodged a criminal case against Nkabane two weeks ago, accusing her of lying to Parliament about the appointments to SETA boards.

uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party said in a statement that the removal of Nkabane was "necessary and long overdue".

"The former Minister's failure to account for the irregular and unlawful allocation of Sector Education and Training Authority board positions raised serious questions about the so-called Government of National Unity's governance, their lack of transparency and the severe political interference that has become quite characteristic of the former liberation movement." | Additional Reporting Mercury Reporter

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