
More SETA political fallout brewing after Manamela appoints ANC-aligned administrators
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is accusing Manamela of appointing ANC-aligned individuals, much like his predecessor, Nobuhle Nkabane, who was removed as minister following the board appointment debacle.
ALSO READ: Higher Edu Minister vows to be transparent in the latest SETA board nominations
Manamela announced the appointments of the administrators to the services SETA, local government SETA (LGSETA), and construction SETA on Tuesday.
Manamela hasn't wasted much time as minister by appointing Matjie Masoga, Oupa Nkoane and Zukile Christopher Mvalo to the services, construction and local government SETAs, respectively.
He said their appointments as administrators are an intervention to what he called "lapses in oversight, and board instability" at the SETAs.
The appointments also come not too long after SETA board appointments had to be abandoned under Nkabane, following an outcry that the appointees were too close to the ANC.
DA spokesperson Karabo Khakhau listed their reasons for opposing the appointments.
"The appointments are of Oupa Nkoane, a former municipal manager at the Emfuleni local municipality and is implicated in a forensic report detailing R872 million at the municipality. The second person is Lehlonolo Masoga, who is not only a former ANC MEC, but a deputy speaker but is also implicated in a forensic report detailing R4.4 million as CEO of the Musina-Makhado special economic zone.'
She said they'd written an urgent letter to Manamela to demand his reconsideration of the appointments and the withdrawal of his announcement.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
29 minutes ago
- IOL News
Opposition parties slam Cape Town's push for greater policing powers
From left, Safety and Security mayco member JP Smith, UDM councillor Bongani Maqungwana, Cape Town Safety and Security Portfolio Committe chairperson Mzwakhe Mqavashe, and DA councillor Yusuf Mohamed during the media briefing calling for the devolution of policing in the Western Cape. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers Opposition parties have criticised the City of Cape Town's campaign for greater policing powers, with ANC Dullah Omar region chairperson Ndithini Thyido describing it as a political 'gimmick' aimed at usurping national government powers. The Mayoral Committee on Thursday formally backing a motion calling for the devolution of specific investigative and intelligence functions from national government, despite strong opposition from the ANC and the EFF. The motion, first adopted by the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee in June, seeks to devolve investigative powers for crime categories such as gang violence, firearm offences, extortion, and drug trafficking. It also calls for crime intelligence functions to be assigned to the city and for responsibility over firearm forensic laboratory testing centres to be transferred. Additionally, the motion proposes continued participation in the Cooperation Agreement task team and the creation of a joint technical workstream with multiple stakeholders. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The Mayoral Committee's support gives the city manager a mandate to initiate the process in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act of 2005. Should this fail, the city has indicated it will pursue the matter through the courts. Thyido criticised the City for using an unlawful investigative unit to track suspects in previous incidents and questioned whether recent attacks involving MPs including Portfolio Committee on Police chairperson Ian Cameron could have been 'stage-managed.' 'Is it really a coincidence that, just 72 hours before this motion was tabled, the MPs experienced that incident? Could it have been a stage-managed exercise? This may sound insensitive, and we say it with all due respect and sympathy for the MPs, but consider the sequence of events: within six hours, suspects were arrested. In contrast, in similar cases where more than 20 people have died in the same area, no arrests were ever made.' He argued that the motion 'has nothing to do with service delivery or improvement of services to the community' and accused the DA of attempting to recreate an 'old apartheid' style of governance. He added that the City's commitment to previously signed tripartite agreements with provincial and national government had not been fulfilled, raising further questions about the DA's intentions. EFF councillor Banzi Dambuza also condemned the motion, saying the DA has failed to use existing law enforcement platforms effectively, particularly in black and coloured communities plagued by crime. Dambuza cited recent failures to install basic infrastructure in informal settlements due to extortion as evidence of the City's incapacity to protect residents. He warned that giving the DA control over police powers would allow 'full dominance' and the creation of a dual standard of law enforcement, where attacks on MPs result in rapid arrests while crimes affecting ordinary residents go unaddressed. Dambuza said this could mirror policing problems seen abroad, with black residents at risk of being 'ill treated' or even shot. Opposition members also argued that the DA's proposed devolution of powers is a continuation of 'swart gevaar' policing tactics within the City, which they say have previously been used to intimidate councillors and residents alike. Thyido and Dambuza insisted that the City's motion is politically motivated, with little focus on improving service delivery or addressing everyday crime affecting communities. Councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe, chairperson of the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee, said the move is essential for improving public safety. 'Devolution will help to improve the fight against crime and improve public safety for communities, particularly those crippled by gang violence. While the fight until now has focused on increased powers for metro police, the city is also rallying for increased municipal peace officer powers to strengthen law enforcement departments not just in Cape Town, but across the province,' he said.


Mail & Guardian
an hour ago
- Mail & Guardian
New higher education minister under fire for politically linked Seta appointments
Buti Manamela's appointment of three administrators has raised concerns from opposition parties and civil society about potential political interference. (@ButiManamela/X) New Higher Education and Training Minister The appointments have drawn criticism from opposition parties and civil society who have raised concerns over their links to the ANC and the potential for political interference. Ironically, Manamela, who was previously deputy minister, was promoted after President On Tuesday, Manamela announced that Oupa Nkoane would oversee the construction Seta, Lehlogonolo Masoga would take charge of the services Seta and Zukile Mvalo would head the local government Seta. He said these appointments aimed to address longstanding governance failures in these institutions, including financial mismanagement, irregular expenditure and unstable boards. But the Nkoane, a former municipal manager at the ANC-governed Emfuleni local municipality in Gauteng, was implicated in a forensic report documenting the mismanagement of R872 million. Khakhau said this 'casts serious doubt' on his capacity to manage public funds responsibly in his new role. Masoga, a former Limpopo MEC and deputy speaker, was chief executive of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone when a communications contract worth R4.4 million was backdated. Khakhau said the backdating justified payments that would otherwise have been deemed irregular. She warned that appointing people with histories of alleged financial mismanagement could perpetuate cycles of corruption within the Setas. 'The issue we have with the three people that he has chosen to appoint is that two of them are implicated in corruption involving R872 million and R4.4 million,' Khakhau said, referring to Nkoane and Masoga. Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP 'It seems like Minister Buti Manamela did not listen to our council because we wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt to say, 'Don't repeat the same mistakes of your predecessor,'' Lonzi said. 'Instead of trying to appoint dignified, honest, new board members with integrity to turn around our entities, there seems to be a continued capture which has been taking place in our Setas. 'This is just another ANC deployee being replaced by another corrupt ANC deployee to continue the corruption and the kleptocracy of the ANC government in its attempt to capture our government entities and institutions.' Manamela defended his appointments, emphasising the professional qualifications and experience of the three administrators. In a statement issued by his department, he said the administrators were chosen to stabilise the Setas, restore operational capacity and ensure that they could fulfil their roles in post-school education and training. 'We cannot allow governance failures to erode the public's confidence in our skills development system. These administrators have a clear mandate to restore integrity, enforce consequence management where necessary and ensure that learners and workers are not prejudiced by institutional weaknesses,' he said. In May, Manamela's predecessor Nkabane appointed 22 people to Seta board chair positions, many of whom were affiliated to the ANC. Her appointments were widely criticised for a lack of transparency and independent oversight. Parliament's portfolio committee on higher education summoned Nkabane to explain the appointments but she refused to provide details about the selection process and dismissed questions about the affiliations of the appointees. This prompted Ramaphosa to intervene, instructing her to withdraw the appointments and initiate a new, independent process. Nkabane was eventually dismissed in July. Opposition parties have argued that the choice of administrators linked to controversies risks repeating past mistakes. Civil society organisations have called for full transparency in the appointment process and for independent oversight to ensure accountability. Khakhau said the Setas play a critical role in South Africa's post-school education and training landscape. They are responsible for administering sector-specific training funds and supporting skills development initiatives across industries. Governance failures in these institutions have previously resulted in misallocated funds, delayed projects and a lack of accountability, undermining national skills development objectives. The DA has formally requested that Manamela reconsider the appointments and favour independent candidates. The party said it is essential for the government to demonstrate that appointments are based on competence rather than political connections. Civil society groups, including the Public Service Accountability Monitor have also voiced concern. Spokesperson Nombuso Dlamini said the appointments 'must be accompanied by full transparency and accountability measures to ensure that governance failures of the past are not repeated'.


The Citizen
4 hours ago
- The Citizen
ANC councillors rescued after being held hostage for employment opportunities
South Africa's unemployment problem has been described as a ticking time bomb. The ANC in the City of Ekurhuleni said it is concerned about the safety of its councillors. This comes after three of them were held hostage for an hour on Wednesday in Thembisa by a group of people who were demanding employment from them. According to ANC Chief Whip Sizakele Masuku, they were locked in a community hall. 'The ANC Caucus in the City of Ekurhuleni strongly condemns the incident that took place earlier today at the Phomolong Community Centre, where Ward 11 Councillor Oriel Thoabala, Ward 12 Councillor Gloria Ndinisa, and Ward 13 Councillor Bulelwa Ngqwangi were unlawfully locked inside the facility by a group identifying themselves as the Unemployed Community Forum,' said Masuku. ANC councillors rescued The councillors were later freed when the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) was alerted to the situation. Masuku said this was a deliberate act of intimidation. 'It is deeply concerning that two of the affected councillors are women, especially during Women's Month. 'Such conduct not only undermines their dignity as public representatives but also borders on gender-based violence (GBV). 'This is a barbaric stunt and a gross act of disrespect against public servants who are elected to serve their communities,' she said. The Citizen understands that a criminal case had not been opened. The right way to solve problems Masuku appealed to residents to raise their concerns through the proper channels. 'While communities are entitled to raise concerns and express frustrations, no amount of dissatisfaction can justify acts of intimidation or unlawful conduct against public representatives. 'We call upon all residents and formations to engage the municipality through lawful and constructive platforms,' she said. Residents still frustrated after 30 years of democracy According to Masuku, democracy thrives when issues are addressed through 'peaceful' and 'legal' ways. 'We urge the community of Phomolong and all formations across Ekurhuleni to refrain from acts of intimidation and instead make use of available democratic channels to ensure their voices are heard.' ALSO READ: More suspects arrested for torching Germiston Home Affairs office SA's unemployment crisis worsens Last week, The Citizen reported that the official unemployment rate increased in the second quarter of the year to 33.2% from 32.9% in the first quarter. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter, the economy shed 140,000 jobs, pushing up the number of unemployed people to 8.4 million. NOW READ: City monitors shutdown threat amid tariff backlash