DA renews call for Nkabane's dismissal over Seta panel scandal

Mail & Guardian

3 days ago

Minister of Higher Education Nobuhle Nkabane. (@Dr_NohbuleN/X)
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This latest development has intensified scrutiny over Nkabane's role in appointing members to the Seta boards, which manage billions in public skills funding. The DA accused her of misleading parliament and violating the executive ethics code by fabricating the legitimacy of the selection process.
In May, Nkabane submitted a list of panel members to parliament in response to mounting pressure to explain how the Seta boards were constituted. The list was presented as evidence that an independent and credible process had been followed.
However, the individuals named as part of that panel, including renowned advocate
In a letter to the chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on higher education Tebogo Letsie, Semane said her name appeared on the panel members list for the chairpersons' selection and recommendation because the minister had submitted a list that included all the panels that she had appointed since taking office.
'I did not participate in the selection and recommendation of Seta chairpersons — but participated in the process for the recommendation of Setas accounting authorities — and not board chairpersons. The minister's list of panel members was all-inclusive and did not distinguish between participation in accounting authorities and participation in Seta board chairs' selection and recommendations,' she said.
Motau publicly distanced himself from the process in June, stating that he had neither been approached for, nor appointed to, any such panel.
In her own letter to Letsie, Ngwenya said that, in October 2024, the responsibility for managing nominations of non-executive board members for various entities was transferred to corporate services in the higher education department.
A decision was made following consultations with the director general, Nkosinathi Sishi, and Nkabane. Ngwenya said that while she agreed to take on this function, she noted that, due to vacancies in middle and senior management of chief directorate and human resources, combined with the confidential nature of the work, she would need to handle the responsibilities herself.
'I was neither compensated nor remunerated against my appointment as a secretariat. I viewed this as an assignment of duties rather than a formal appointment, and as such, did not deem it necessary to formally accept the assignment in writing,' she said.
This contradiction has prompted the DA to escalate its campaign against the minister, with DA MP and spokesperson Karabo Khakhau laying a criminal complaint against Nkabane at the Cape Town central police station, accusing her of perjury, fraud and contravention of the Executive Members' Ethics Act.
'Minister Nkabane has been caught lying to parliament, misrepresenting the facts and attempting to legitimise a flawed and politically compromised process,' Khakhau said. 'This is not a small oversight. This is a calculated abuse of public trust and resources.'
On Wednesday, Khakhau asked why the president still kept Nkabane in the cabinet with evidence showing that she had lied to parliament.
The DA said the minister's chief of staff, along with ANC Youth League members and other party-linked individuals, including Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe's son, were part of the real decision-making process.
The party argues that the composition of the panel was manipulated to give the appearance of impartiality while serving factional interests in the ANC.
In a letter to Ramaphosa, the DA said the minister had 'completely lost the moral authority to hold public office' and demanded that she be removed without delay.
The matter has drawn criticism from other political parties. The uMkhonto weSizwe party, which became the official opposition last year when the DA joined the government of national unity, has echoed the call for Nkabane's dismissal, saying she had disrespected the rule of law and undermined institutional governance.
The South African Students Congress and the student command of the Economic Freedom Fighters have also raised concerns over governance failures in the higher education department, particularly in light of ongoing issues with National Financial Aid Scheme funding and administration.
In parliament, the DA refused to support the department of higher education's R142 billion budget during a recent debate, citing the minister's conduct. The party said it could not in good conscience support a budget 'presided over by a minister who has fundamentally breached the public's trust'.
The presidency has not indicated whether Ramaphosa will act on the DA's demands.