'Coordinated attack on a young female minister' - ANCYL slams DA over Nkabane charges
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has denounced the Democratic Alliance's (DA) decision to lay criminal charges against Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane, calling it a 'coordinated attack' with political motives.
'Let's not allow South African society to be misled by people who want to create a facade on matters with political interests,' said ANC Youth League Secretary-General Mntuwoxolo Ngudle in an interview with the public broadcaster.
'This is a democratic country, governed by an active legislation. Let's not allow a coordinated attack on a young female minister.'
The DA will be filing charges on Tuesday morning at Cape Town Central Police Station, accusing Nkabane of lying to Parliament.
The charge-laying will be led by DA federal council chair Helen Zille, deputy chief whip Baxolile Nodada, and national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau.
'The DA will not stand for ANC corruption in the National Executive, or anywhere in government,' the party said in a statement.
The DA, which is one of the GNU partners, has accused the ANC of violating the coalition's founding principles.
Over the weekend, DA leader John Steenhuisen announced the party's withdrawal from the GNU's National Dialogue, pointing to a breakdown in trust and alleging President Cyril Ramaphosa is protecting ministers accused of corruption.
He criticised Ramaphosa's appointment of a 'bloated' executive and the sidelining of coalition partners in key decisions.
A flashpoint was the dismissal of DA Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield over a travel dispute, which the DA says highlights ANC's double standards.
'The flagrant double standard that protects the likes of Minister Thembi Simelane and Nkabane but acts against Whitfield proves that in the ANC's universe, the only things you dare not be are competent, honest, and hard-working,' Steenhuisen said.
The DA has pledged to vote against budget allocations for departments led by ministers it deems compromised, including Nkabane and Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, though it won't block the overall GNU budget in the interest of national stability.
Steenhuisen also warned that the party may consider a motion of no confidence in the president if no corrective action is taken.
Meanwhile, the South African Students Congress (SASCO) has recently joined the growing chorus calling for Nkabane's removal.
SASCO President Alungile Amtshe accused her of failing students, citing delays in National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) disbursements and the failure to appoint a permanent NSFAS board.
'The crisis facing students today is not incidental,' Amtshe said. 'It is the direct result of poor governance by the Department of Higher Education and Training and the bourgeois agenda of university and college management.'
He also slammed the chronic underfunding of institutions serving working-class students and said higher education is being treated like a profit-driven enterprise.
'We have no choice but to take a drastic stance,' he said.
Political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu told IOL News on Monday that the calls for Nkabane's removal appear selective.
'What are they saying about Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane?' he asked.
Simelane was under fire last year due to corruption allegations involving her time as mayor of Polokwane, where she took a loan at the now defunct VBS Bank and R700,000 inflated billing on an Eskom contract.
Simelane has denied wrongdoing.
Another minister under scrutiny is Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, accused of R2.5 million in tender fraud dating back to her time in the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality.
She has not commented, but ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula previously defended her, saying the party would only respond when 'something tangible' is presented.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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