Analyst: Ramaphosa had no choice but to fire Nkabane over ANC-linked SETA scandal
Image: Jairus Mmutle / GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa has no other choice but to fire Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane as the Minister of Higher Education following the appointments of ANC-allied individuals to the controversial SETA board, says a political analyst.
Ramaphosa has dismissed Nkabane following mounting pressure over controversial Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) board appointments, which included individuals with close ties to the ANC.
Political analyst Professor Theo Neethling told IOL News that Ramaphosa had little choice but to act after the Democratic Alliance (DA) laid criminal charges against Nkabane, accusing her of deliberately misleading Parliament.
The DA also announced plans to refer the matter to Parliament's Ethics Committee, alleging she provided false information to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education.
'These developments came shortly before she was due to present her department's budget vote in Parliament, adding further political pressure to the matter,' Neethling said.
He said that criticism from political and civil society groups also intensified, leading to growing pressure on both Nkabane and Ramaphosa.
'Her resignation was, therefore, unsurprising,' he said.
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Ramaphosa officially fired Nkabane on Monday.
He appointed Deputy Minister Buti Manamela as the new Minister of Higher Education and Training and named Dr. Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the deputy minister.
The Cabinet reshuffle follows scrutiny of Nkabane's role in the SETA board appointments, which included individuals with strong ANC affiliations, such as Buyambo Mantashe, son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, and Dube-Ncube.
While Nkabane maintained the appointments were lawful, opposition parties argued the process lacked transparency.
Ramaphosa had requested a formal report from her last month regarding her conduct.
Neethling questioned the decision to promote Manamela, who has served as deputy minister in the same portfolio under multiple presidents since 2017.
'His primary credential appears to be his familiarity with the ministry,' Neethling said.
'The question remains: 'why is it so difficult to find a strong and capable successor for the Higher Education portfolio?'
He emphasised that the portfolio requires engagement with university leadership and a firm grasp of the ongoing National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) challenges - issues that he said impact both institutional funding and students' financial well-being.
Neethling also raised concerns over Dube-Ncube's appointment as deputy minister.
'The recent appointment of Nomusa Dube-Ncube, a former Premier of KwaZulu-Natal as a new deputy minister also raises questions in some circles after she was recently controversially appointed as one of four SETA chairs with strong political connections – one of the contributing factors for Nkabane's resignation.'
'However, Dube-Ncube is academically well-qualified and has experience in governmental affairs as a former Premier of KZN,' he said.
Opposition parties, including the DA, MK Party, FF Plus, Rise Mzansi, and ActionSA, have hailed Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane's removal from Cabinet, describing her exit as overdue and blaming her for dodging accountability over disputed SETA board selections.
Opposition parties applaud long-overdue exit of 'arrogant' Higher Education Minister Nkabane over SETA scandal
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the removal of Nkabane, calling it a first step toward restoring faith in the Government of National Unity's (GNU) commitment to fighting corruption.
DA Member of Parliament and spokesperson Karabo Khakhau claimed that Nkabane's departure came after 'relentless DA pressure in the fight against ANC corruption, wrongdoing and criminality.'
'The departure of Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, after lying to Parliament to cover up ANC cadre deployment, comes after relentless DA pressure,' Khakhau said.
'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 added that one dismissal was not enough to signal a reformed ANC.
'There is still a very long list of ANC corruption to be eradicated,' she said.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party called Nkabane's removal 'necessary and long overdue.'
'The former minister's failure to account for the irregular and unlawful allocation of SETA board positions raised serious questions about the GNU's governance,' said MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela.
ActionSA echoed similar concerns, labeling Nkabane's tenure as marked by 'failure, scandal and neglect.'
In a joint statement, MPs Malebo Kobe and Thabo Malosi said she leaves behind 'a national student housing backlog of more than 500,000 beds, a dysfunctional NSFAS, and a R20 billion black hole at the SETAs.'
'Her attempt to bury parliamentary questions under 800 pages of bureaucratic nonsense concealed, among other things, an R11.2 million departmental travel spree,' they said.
'Her final undoing came when she was caught concealing the names of the so-called 'independent' SETA selection panel.'
While they welcomed her departure, the party criticised Manamela's appointment, saying his long tenure as deputy minister made him complicit in the department's decline.
Rise Mzansi's Songezo Sibi said Nkabane must still be held accountable by the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests.
'She epitomised political arrogance and showed an unrepentant disregard for what it means to be in service to the people of South Africa,' Sibi said.
Freedom Front Plus MP Wynand Boshoff said her removal is significant ahead of the week's budget votes.
'Manamela should have a good understanding of the challenging task at hand, having served as deputy minister since 2019,' Boshoff said.
'The Freedom Front Plus wishes him (Manamela) and Deputy Minister Dube-Ncube all the best.'
The ANC, meanwhile, welcomed the appointments.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party is confident that Manamela and Dube-Ncube will promote access, equity, and quality in higher education.
'We extend our gratitude to Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane for her service and wish her well in her future endeavors,' Bhengu-Motsiri said.
'These appointments reaffirm our commitment to a capable, ethical and developmental state.'
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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Through your denial of post-apartheid racialised realities, continued pandering to (neo)liberal logic of development and preoccupation with legislatively fighting equality measures in court, you already lack the political will and knowledge. Yes, Atlantis wants answers and deserves safety and opportunities. So too do the rest of the cape flats and townships where many of us are relegated to a dismal quality of life while our city is continue lauded as the best city in the world. I look, hope, dream and work towards a future where people like me do not have opportunities like this taken away from them. Especially as a result of failed governance and structural poverty and inequality. Our communities need urgent and structural change, not political gimmicks such as that press release. To Atlantis Secondary and the rugby team who have had their match cancelled, I would say to continue doing the vital work you have been doing. I have certainly enjoyed immense growth supported by my high school and the tireless work those educators have done to holistically support me. The real injustice is the denial of a dignified quality of life and the opportunity of growth for those of us located at the periphery of Cape Town's wealth and in the aftertaste of Verwoerd's spatial apartheid. Brindley Fortuin ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
