logo
Ramaphosa fires Nkabane as minister of higher education over SETA boards debacle

Ramaphosa fires Nkabane as minister of higher education over SETA boards debacle

Eyewitness News2 days ago
Nkabane's axing follows months of controversy over the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) board appointments that saw several African National Congress (ANC)-aligned individuals appointed.
Her sacking also comes a day before she was set to appear before Parliament's higher education committee to explain the SETA board appointment process after failing to appear in the last two committee meetings.
Minister Nobuhle Nkabane on Monday evening issued a statement confirming her removal as higher education minister.
In the statement, she thanked the president for entrusting her with the responsibility to serve as minister of higher education.
She said that it was a privilege to lead such a crucial portfolio and she remained committed to the service of South Africans in the country's development.
The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Karabo Khakhau had earlier on Monday called for her removal.
"If she says that the ANC did not work with her, she must be willing to take the blame alone having master engineered this alone, which is highly unlikely. But the bottom line is that President Ramaphosa must fire her."
It is not clear whether the committee will move forward with its meeting on Tuesday where Nkabane was set to appear, alongside other members of the panel who were involved in the initial evaluation and nomination of candidates to be SETA chairpersons.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Big move in US Bill's bid to sanction ANC officials
Big move in US Bill's bid to sanction ANC officials

The Citizen

time2 minutes ago

  • The Citizen

Big move in US Bill's bid to sanction ANC officials

The Bill was introduced by Republican representative Ronny Jackson, who took to social media on Tuesday to celebrate the milestone. US President Donald Trump meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 21 May 2025. Picture: AFP A Bill to review the bilateral relationship between the United States (US) and South Africa, and to impose sanctions on government and ANC officials, has made significant progress. The US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025 (H.R.2633) was introduced in April and this week moved through US Congress' foreign affairs committee with minor amendments. This paves the way for the Bill to be debated and voted upon. It was introduced by Republican representative Ronny Jackson, who took to social media on Tuesday to celebrate the milestone. 'Today, my Bill to fully review America's relationship with South Africa and give President Trump the tools necessary to hold their corrupt government accountable passed through committee. The days of allowing our so-called 'allies' to walk all over us are over!' Afriforum welcomes the move In reaction, head of public relations at AfriForum, Ernst van Zyl, said the ANC's 'years of reckless and extremist diplomatic actions and rhetoric are now bearing bitter fruit'. 'AfriForum maintains that ordinary citizens of the country should not be punished for the extremism and corruption of politicians. 'AfriForum has never advocated for sanctions that target South Africa as a whole. Therefore, the introduction of targeted sanctions against these politicians will be a welcome development,' Van Zyl added. This is a developing story

New minister Bhuti Manamela brings nothing new
New minister Bhuti Manamela brings nothing new

IOL News

time32 minutes ago

  • IOL News

New minister Bhuti Manamela brings nothing new

Western Cape High Court Judge President Nolwazi Penelope Mabindla-Boqwana conducts the swearing-in of newly-appointed Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela. Image: Kopano Tlape | GCIS NEWLY-APPOINTED Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela's track record contradicts his party, the ANC's claim that his leadership will advance access, equity, and quality in the higher education sector. He has been the higher education and training deputy minister for almost 10 years and it's safe to say that he watched the collapse of entities such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). He was at the helm when poor students were forced to sleep rough on the floor of administration buildings because NSFAS failed to pay for their accommodation. He watched students being attacked by police with stun grenades and tear gas when they demanded to be registered. Manamela had the power to distance himself from his boss, the outgoing Nobuhle Nkabane when she misled Parliament on the controversial appointments of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) board members, which included Buyelembo Mantashe, the son of Nkabane's former boss and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe. We can go on and on about instances where Manamela chose to take the backseat while Rome was burning, literally. To expect South Africans to believe that he is the right person to turn that ministry's fortunes around is wishful thinking at best or insulting people's intelligence at worst. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ How do we expect a person who was part of the problem to be responsible for solutions? What his appointment signals is an attempt by the ANC to appease the SACP, Manamela's political home, which intends contesting next year's local government election in protest of the ANC governing with the DA in the so-called Government of National Unity. It's also to stabilise the fractured relations between the ANC and the DA coalition. If not, then why has Ramaphosa not fired other ministers implicated in serious corruption allegations? Nkabane's departure was long overdue. Her arrogance was the true reflection of what the ANC has become. No wonder voters continue rejecting it at the polls. The party's continued lip service to ethical leadership that is grounded in truly addressing the pressing needs of the majority of people of this country will see it lose the little power it still has on some of the key metros in the 2026 local government elections. Last year's national elections were just the beginning of an end. CAPE TIMES

India's Viksat Bharat 2047: A Blueprint for Development and Job Creation
India's Viksat Bharat 2047: A Blueprint for Development and Job Creation

IOL News

timean hour ago

  • IOL News

India's Viksat Bharat 2047: A Blueprint for Development and Job Creation

Dr Sheetal Bhoola is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Zululand, and the director at StellarMaths (Sunningdale). The quest for equality, socio-economic development has been a global phenomenon, and a vision that many developing nations aspire to. The journey to achieving overall development and improving the lives of all peoples residing in a country is a daunting and huge task. Kudos to India for implementing appropriate measures and strategically planning to meet these targets. Viksat Bharat 2047 is a motion based on the government's vision to move India into being recognised and fully developed by 2047. The Consul General of India, Durban, Dr. Thelma john Davids recently hosted an event that specifically aimed to publicise and inform South Africans of the progression of this strategy. Dr. Nageswaran, chief Economic Advisor Ministry of Finance, India was the guest of honour and informed the guests of the progression of the strategy. It was reported that over the last decade, India has created approximately 17 million jobs, and they have been focusing on labour that is skill intensive. In the previous decade, it was recorded that 4.5 million jobs were created. The numbers have more than tripled and Indian citizens can enjoy a better way of life because they have a livelihood. India's population has escalated to 1.4 billion people and amidst this they still manage to sustain an unemployment rate of under 6% in recent years. In comparison, South Africa has doubled their number of employed persons since 1994, and it has been recorded till date that approximately 16 million people are employed. Yet the unemployment rate in relevance to our population size is still almost 40% and it has been stagnating at that rate for a number of years. An analysis can further investigate as to how accurate these developmental statistics are, but despite their capacity to be marginally or partially inaccurate, they give a clear benchmark of how progressive countries are in meeting their developmental goals. The National Development Plan of 2030 is five years ahead of us, and we need to investigate avenues that will speed up the process of minimising unemployment to create a far more equal society which is less poverty-stricken than previously. Employment in the agricultural and construction sector has been punted and the Minister clearly indicated that we must sell these career trajectories to our youth, because this is where the need and viability lies for employment and economic development in the near future. The pace at which India has more than tripled their employment rates is admirable, and I do question what the methodology has been to achieve this. The minister at the event highlighted that many of the employment opportunities have been determined by needs and the need in India has been construction. In the last 10 years, the country has built 88 airports in and around the country. To be precise, this is one airport completed in 40 days. These governmental projects have continued to contribute towards long-term employment for individuals in the arena of construction. In comparison, since 1994, King Shaka International Airport was the only airport that was built in 2010 and other airports such as Oliver Tambo International Airport were refurbished. However, India's success today is also based on their economic workforce that has been integrated into the global economy through technological innovation and advancement. India has become a leading global player in the advancement of technological products and innovations. This required Indians to become highly skilled and educated within the realms of sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which they have achieved. Bengaluru, the South of India has been renowned to be similar to America's Silicon Valley in terms of technological innovation and the centralisation of these hubs that contribute effectively to employment. The demand has now shifted, and India aligns their employment typology demands with global trends and current requirements. The world is grappling with the use of artificial intelligence which threatens many jobs, portfolios, and tasks in the corporate workspace across sectors. India's stance has been to promote and encourage their youth to focus on labour intensive skill development in the arenas of construction and agriculture. There has been plenty of banter about employment opportunities that may become redundant with the increased utilisation of artificial intelligence and related technological programs and platforms. These platforms have been enhancing many portfolios and tasks in the corporate sector but ultimately lack human judgement, emotional intelligence, contextual understanding and relevance as well as defined and specific applicability to a context, place, time-frame and need. The question beckons as to what South Africans can learn from India in various ways. The onset of the G20 initiative is an avenue whereby countries can engage in interdependence and to foster global economic development and cooperation. The primary aim is to achieve development through policy development and valued modification as well as coordination of strategies, systems, and the implication processes of development strategies. The key players of the G20 Collaborative team include The African Union and European Union and 19 independent countries including South Africa namely; Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. One of the objects of the G20 platforms is measures to minimise the various forms of corruption in the above-mentioned countries. The development of strategy planning, frameworks and policies are merely not enough, but we need to investigate the various ways of applying these policies successfully. The challenge has always been within South Africa's capacity to implement a program of change or a developmental program successfully. An impactful example is the continued challenges that we experience with The National Schools Nutrition Program, which has been continually criticised for tender rigging processes and poor service delivery to learners. Yet this programme is fundamental to long-term effective development of society and addresses two of our main challenges, namely educational development and hunger and poverty. The onus lies on South Africans to ensure that every programme runs to its best capacity, and we need to look to our vision of 2030 and beyond. *The opinions expressed in this article does not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper. DAILY NEWS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store