Manamela steps in as Nkabane gets the boot
One party has accused her of showing an "unrepentant disregard for what it means to serve the people of South Africa."
Nkabane found herself at the centre of a parliamentary storm when she failed to attend a crucial meeting of the portfolio committee on Friday.
The portfolio committee had invited Nkabane and the panel members who recommended the now-cancelled appointments of the chairpersons for the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) boards.
Advocate Terry Motau and Chief Director for SETA Coordination, Mabuza Ngubane, attended the meeting, but Nkabane was notably absent.
Also present were Deputy Ministers Buti Manamela and Mimmy Gondwe, whom the committee wanted to question about their roles in the appointments.
However, in a swift response to recent controversies, President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Manamela as the new Minister of Higher Education and Training.
The decision follows Nkabane's ousting, which she announced in a brief statement on Monday afternoon.
Nkabane expressed her gratitude to President Ramaphosa for the opportunity to serve in such a critical role, stating, "I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the President of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, for entrusting me with the responsibility to serve as Minister of Higher Education and Training."
Minutes after her statement, Ramaphosa announced Manamela's appointment as well as Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube, who will be serving as the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training.
The reshuffling comes as Nkabane faced intense scrutiny, particularly for her alleged misleading of Parliament regarding the process of appointing the SETA board members. Reports emerged indicating that the list of appointees was heavily influenced by affiliations with the African National Congress (ANC), incorporating figures such as Buyambo, the son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.
Last week, Nkabane came under fire after failing to appear before Parliament to account for the controversial appointments. She instead opted to attend a GBV event in the Eastern Cape.
Nkabane sent a last-minute apology to the portfolio committee, citing a gender-based violence (GBV) event at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in the Eastern Cape as the reason for her absence.
Her apology was rejected by committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie.
Letsie said after receiving the letter, he told Nkabane that he is not accepting her apology because it does not make sense for her to be absent from the meeting.
Nkabane was expected to brief members again on the SETA board selection process, which was eventually reversed.
Many of the appointees were allegedly linked to the ANC, which raised concerns over political interference and nepotism.
Although Nkabane previously told MPs that the selections were made by an 'independent' panel chaired by Advocate Terry Motau, Motau denied any involvement.
Political parties were quick in their response to Nkabane's axing.
Welcoming the removal of Nkabane, RISE Mzansi said: ''Nkabane epitomised political arrogance and showed an unrepentant disregard for what it means to be in service to the people of South Africa. While she no longer serves as a member of the Executive, she must still be held accountable by the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests for misleading Parliament and the people of South Africa.
''We trust that long-serving Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, who has been elevated to the position of Minister, will bring much needed stability and humility to the portfolio, while ensuring that its R142-billion budget contributes to educating and training a new generation of leaders who will create jobs, build the economy and contribute to the intellectual and knowledge base of the country.''
Calling Nkabane's removals a ''stunning blow against ANC cadre corruption,'' DA National Spokesperson, Karabo Khakhau, said: ''Seeing one ANC Minister depart Cabinet under storming clouds of lies, deceit, cadre deployment corruption and a Hawks Investigation is a first step to restoring our faith that the GNU will not tolerate corruption.
''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.''
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party said in a statement that the removal of Nkabane was "necessary and long overdue".
"The former Minister's failure to account for the irregular and unlawful allocation of Sector Education and Training Authority board positions raised serious questions about the so-called Government of National Unity's governance, their lack of transparency and the severe political interference that has become quite characteristic of the former liberation movement."
I IOL News
Additional Reporting by Staff Reporter
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
an hour ago
- TimesLIVE
Mchunu and Zondo lay bare what's holding South Africa back
Suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu reportedly insisted Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi should have addressed his concerns with him before he made the public statements that led to the minister being put on special leave. This, as we have witnessed in the past, is the modus operandi of the ANC comrades. Time and again we learn of political figures in hot water, yet when it is time to face the music, most seem to just slip through the cracks faster than water disappearing in the desert sand. Political figures would tip each other off, toe the party line in protecting friends and colleagues, to the detriment of South Africa. Who is to say, why the minister would have insisted that Mkhwanazi first address these issues with him in private, whereas according to the esteemed general, the minister is at the centre of the problems in SAPS and crime intelligence specifically. As we have seen with Phala-Phala and other dubious activities at the highest levels, this would have been talked through in private and swept under the rug, leaving the minister and all others embroiled in the Mkhwanazi matter free to continue business as usual. Thankfully that was not the case this time around, because Mkhwanazi is dedicated to his job and loyal to South Africans and not 'the party'. For too long we have suffered the curse of holy cows in politics and government generally. Judge Raymond Zondo also lamented having to swear in politicians who had been implicated as having direct or indirect corrupt activity as per the Zondo commission. What is surprising is that the judge chose business as usual at the time and did not call out President Cyril Ramaphosa when it mattered. Only now does the judge feel it necessary to take the country into his confidence and speak out about something about which we have all been wondering.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Bumpy road lies ahead for the nation
Kenneth Mokgatlhe | Published 5 hours ago President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, met in the While House recently. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests, according to the writer. Image: AFP September, a month synonymous with renewal and new beginnings, will be the most challenging period in South Africa's political and economic landscape due to actions likely to be taken by the US against the country. The first is the end of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in September. However, the new 30% tariffs introduced by the US for SA will likely override the existing AGOA conventions when they take effect at the beginning of August 2025. The second biggest conundrum will be the possibility of the US Senate's decision on the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025. The ground is fertile in the US to act against the South African government, which is believed to have acted against the US's national interests. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests. This has been evident in their divergent voting patterns on various United Nations (UN) platforms, where South Africa and the US have often taken opposing positions. The relations between the US - SA did not break during the Trump administration, and Joe Biden also raised similar concerns about South Africa. The ANC should be told, 'You made your bed, now lie in it.' They have chosen to strengthen their alliances with the geopolitical rivals to the West at the expense of decades of working partnerships with the Western powers. It was very shortsighted of the ANC to believe that there would not be actions or reactions from the side of the US on how it is being undermined by Africa's powerful regional bloc. The escalating tensions between the US and South Africa took an uphill path in 2022 when South Africa was alleged by the US to have loaded the Lady R with armaments that would be used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The South African government dismissed this allegation. In 2023, in the aftermath of Israeli attacks by Hamas on the 7th October 2023, we saw South Africa continuing with its support for Hamas, a designated terror organisation by countries such as the US and European Union (EU) countries. Dr. Naledi Pandor kicked off a diplomatic storm when she agreed that she had a telephonic conversation with the same Hamas and offered them humanitarian support, a vicious group that invaded Israel and killed more than 1 200 innocent civilians and kidnapped more than 250 people, some are still held under the tunnels in Gaza to date. Just when we thought that the ANC would tone down its anti-US messaging, it did the unexpected by dragging the State of Israel into the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ). Their legal basis was that Israel was committing genocidal acts in Gaza. This act by the South African government would be seen as heroic by some, while others criticised the move because it would not be a viable solution to the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict. It is possible that the ANC's thinking at the time was to maximise its electoral fortunes, which drastically dropped to below 50%. Their energy on the issue is draining because it is not yielding them the political capital they had planned. If indeed South Africa was genuine about fighting for the rights of the vulnerable people around the world, they could have started with their population, wherein 14 million people are living in dire poverty, not knowing what they would eat the following day. A country where quite a sizable youth are unemployed. The country that experiences 62 murders per day for the whole year, a number that is unmatched throughout the world, we are the murder capital. Still, the political leadership ignores what is affecting their people. Mokgatlhe is a political analyst and consultant.
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Bumpy road lies ahead for the nation
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, met in the While House recently. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests, according to the writer. Image: AFP September, a month synonymous with renewal and new beginnings, will be the most challenging period in South Africa's political and economic landscape due to actions likely to be taken by the US against the country. The first is the end of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in September. However, the new 30% tariffs introduced by the US for SA will likely override the existing AGOA conventions when they take effect at the beginning of August 2025. The second biggest conundrum will be the possibility of the US Senate's decision on the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025. The ground is fertile in the US to act against the South African government, which is believed to have acted against the US's national interests. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests. This has been evident in their divergent voting patterns on various United Nations (UN) platforms, where South Africa and the US have often taken opposing positions. The relations between the US - SA did not break during the Trump administration, and Joe Biden also raised similar concerns about South Africa. The ANC should be told, 'You made your bed, now lie in it.' They have chosen to strengthen their alliances with the geopolitical rivals to the West at the expense of decades of working partnerships with the Western powers. It was very shortsighted of the ANC to believe that there would not be actions or reactions from the side of the US on how it is being undermined by Africa's powerful regional bloc. The escalating tensions between the US and South Africa took an uphill path in 2022 when South Africa was alleged by the US to have loaded the Lady R with armaments that would be used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The South African government dismissed this allegation. In 2023, in the aftermath of Israeli attacks by Hamas on the 7th October 2023, we saw South Africa continuing with its support for Hamas, a designated terror organisation by countries such as the US and European Union (EU) countries. Dr. Naledi Pandor kicked off a diplomatic storm when she agreed that she had a telephonic conversation with the same Hamas and offered them humanitarian support, a vicious group that invaded Israel and killed more than 1 200 innocent civilians and kidnapped more than 250 people, some are still held under the tunnels in Gaza to date. Just when we thought that the ANC would tone down its anti-US messaging, it did the unexpected by dragging the State of Israel into the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ). Their legal basis was that Israel was committing genocidal acts in Gaza. This act by the South African government would be seen as heroic by some, while others criticised the move because it would not be a viable solution to the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict. It is possible that the ANC's thinking at the time was to maximise its electoral fortunes, which drastically dropped to below 50%. Their energy on the issue is draining because it is not yielding them the political capital they had planned. If indeed South Africa was genuine about fighting for the rights of the vulnerable people around the world, they could have started with their population, wherein 14 million people are living in dire poverty, not knowing what they would eat the following day. A country where quite a sizable youth are unemployed. The country that experiences 62 murders per day for the whole year, a number that is unmatched throughout the world, we are the murder capital. Still, the political leadership ignores what is affecting their people. Mokgatlhe is a political analyst and consultant.
