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Daily Maverick
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Principled protest or performative politics? The DA's budget vote and the real risks to higher education
On 3 July 2025, Parliament debated and voted on the budget allocation for the Department of Higher Education and Training. At face value, it was a routine step in the national fiscal calendar. In reality, it became a stage for a high-stakes political performance — one in which the Democratic Alliance (DA), a key player in the newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU), chose to oppose the Higher Education budget vote, citing Minister Nobuhle Nkabane's alleged misconduct in Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) appointments and misrepresentation to Parliament. The DA's decision may appear principled. After all, allegations of dishonesty in the appointment of public officials are serious and should be investigated with the gravity they deserve. But when weighed against its broader actions — supporting the Appropriation Bill, backing the Divisions of Revenue Bill, and remaining firmly embedded in the GNU — its opposition begins to look more like a carefully choreographed act than a genuine stand for accountability. A convenient dissonance This dissonance is at the heart of the matter. The DA claims it cannot, in good conscience, support a budget administered by a minister it deems untrustworthy. Yet it supports the very bills that enable that same budget to exist. It lays criminal charges, stages high-profile appearances at police stations, and calls for dismissals — all while continuing to co-govern with the very figures it accuses. It denounces cadre deployment but offers little clarity on how it would democratise governance without retreating into technocracy. In a rare and probably never to be seen moment of striking clarity, EFF MP Sihle Lonzi captured the contradiction during the parliamentary debate succinctly: the DA was not voting against the budget for moral reasons — it was engaging in political theatre. It wanted to protest against the firing of its own deputy minister more than it wanted to reform the education system. This is not to diminish the need for transparency or integrity in higher education governance. If our minister misled Parliament or failed to act within ethical and procedural norms, she must account. The principle of accountability must apply equally and without political convenience. But it is precisely because of the gravity of these principles that they should not be deployed as tactical weapons in what has become a rapidly unravelling unity experiment. The real stakes: students, workers and institutions What gets lost in this posturing are the very real consequences for students, workers, and institutions. The 2025/26 budget vote allocated: R96-billion to universities. R14-billion to Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges. 7-billion to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme — supporting millions of poor and working-class students. It included resources to refurbish Giyani College, build new campuses in mining towns, and expand Centres of Specialisation in TVETs. It committed funds for student housing, campus safety, and infrastructure upgrades in a sector strained by overcrowding, underfunding, and social unrest. Opposing this budget, not for its content but to symbolically target the minister, is not just disingenuous — it is dangerous. It delays service delivery, unsettles institutions already grappling with instability, and undermines the very transformation the DA claims to support. And it does so without offering a credible alternative. Is the DA suggesting that the budget be collapsed and re-tabled under another minister? That students be denied allowances until the political clean-up is complete? That Technical and Vocational Education and Training expansions wait until internal GNU tensions are resolved? This is the risk of performative opposition: it prioritises narrative over necessity. Judicial luxuries and democratic realities There's also a class dimension to this moment. Helen Zille's symbolic march to the police station, dragging her party MP to lay charges, was intended to show resolve. But it also unintentionally revealed a deep inequality in access to justice. How many of the students who rely on this budget have the same legal recourse? How many workers on underfunded campuses can march their grievances into the same institutions with the same certainty of being heard? The DA's self-image as a party of clean governance must confront this paradox: the performance of moral superiority can, at times, obscure the impact of its own decisions. Opposing a budget that funds student meals, campus safety, housing, and worker wages cannot be the righteous act it is presented to be. From symbolism to substance If the DA wishes to be taken seriously as a party of national leadership, it must learn to distinguish between principled dissent and symbolic sabotage. South Africa needs opposition that strengthens governance, not that undermines service delivery for spectacle. It must not fall into the trap of simple-minded populism: governing with one hand while campaigning with the other. At the same time, the GNU cannot become a fragile house of mirrors — one where parties selectively engage depending on which faction is being challenged. Unity must not mean uniformity, but nor can it survive hypocrisy. If this coalition is to endure and serve the nation meaningfully, its members must honour both accountability and responsibility. There is space for critique, investigation, and reform — but there is no space for empty performance when the stakes are this high. There is no theatre more dangerous than that which mistakes its script for reality. South Africa's higher education system is not a stage — it is a lifeline. It deserves more than posturing. It deserves principled, pragmatic governance. That is what students, workers, and our national development agenda demand. Anything less is a betrayal. DM
TimesLIVE
16-06-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Zuma too old, Papa Penny a clown: Malema urges KZN voters to ditch MK
EFF youth leader Sihle Lonzi called on the government to introduce a 'job-seeking allowance' for the youth who are seeking employment. 'We are calling for a job-seeking allowance for unemployed youth of nothing less than R1,500 every month. If you can prove to government that you're a young person and looking for a job, you must be paid because creating employment is the job of the government,' he said. 'It is very expensive to look for a job. You must have money to print CVs and [to pay for] taxi fares to and from interviews. Therefore we want to be paid to look for a job in South Africa.' The EFF also announced that it was already in full campaign mode for next year's local government elections after suffering losses in the 2024 polls. KZN is one of the provinces where the party lost support, plummeting from 10% to just 2% and reducing its provincial legislature representation. It has also performed poorly in most by-elections, which ultimately led the party to reconfigure its provincial leadership structures last month. Provincial chairperson Mongezi Twala called the reconfiguration a 'necessary revolutionary correction' and said they didn't see it as punishment but a 'political rescue mission' that embraced discipline. Malema said the party is moving on from the 2024 losses and looking forward to the next elections. 'We cannot continue to mourn about losing the elections last year. That was a lesson — it belongs in the past [and] we must fight now. Stop giving apologies, provincial chair. It is done and we are now fighting forward. No one can defeat people who are determined to achieve their freedom in their lifetime,' he said.
IOL News
02-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
EFF MP Sihle Lonzi grills Nkabane over secret SETA panel, ‘Is it your boyfriend?'
EFF MP Sihle Lonzi questions the legitimacy of the panel that recommended SETA board appointments during a tense committee briefing last week on Friday Image: Independent Newspapers Archives EFF MP Sihle Lonzi has questioned Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane who recommended the withdrawn Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) chairs, suggesting it could include 'her boyfriend or family members.' The matter was brought before the Committee of Higher Education and Training on Friday where Nkabane faced sharp criticism from opposition MP's. Nkabane repeatedly refused to disclose the names of members of the panel that recommended the now-withdrawn chairpersons of the SETAs. This comes after Nkabane faced backlash over leaked appointments to SETA boards, which included several ANC-linked individuals, among them, former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Buyambo Mantashe, son of ANC national chairperson and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe. Nkabane appeared before the committee last week on Friday after she rescinded the appointments in response to the public outcry. Despite that, she insisted the process adhered to legal and governance standards. 'The integrity of the process was beyond scrutiny and reproach,' Nkabane said. She told the Committee forHigher Education and Training on Friday that the panel had operated under the guidance of the King IV Report on Corporate Governance. Nkabane said a dedicated structure to oversee nominations was recommended by the Auditor-General in 2020. 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 Next Stay Close ✕ According to her, the department received 573 nominations, of which only 20 were recommended by an independent panel. Nkabane emphasised that the panel members were reputable individuals who volunteered their services and did not act on behalf of the ministry. 'They don't claim to execute this responsibility on behalf of the minister,' she said. However, when Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Letta Maseko asked her to name the panelists, Nkabane declined. 'There is no need for me to come and declare my volunteers, the people who assisted me voluntarily to execute my responsibilities,' she said. 'If something wrong happened, then hold accountable the person empowered by legislation, the minister, not them.' Asked again, Nkabane said, 'I can't share the names. Whatever comes, the responsibility lies with the minister. I am not going to drag them...' Umkhonto weSizwe Party MP Mnqobi Msezane said the panel's identity was a matter of public interest and accused the department of appointing 'ghost people.' Meanwhile, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Lonzi said he did not accept the minister's claim that the process was above board. 'We want to know who those people are,' Lonzi said, as he questioned the legitimacy of decisions made by the unknown group. 'Who are the profiles of this independent panel that you take so seriously, who told you who to put in the SETAs, NSFAS board, and university councils? Who are your advisers? Is it your mother? Is it your sister? Is it your friend? Is it your boyfriend? Is it your girlfriend?'
TimesLIVE
20-05-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
If we are hungry, Mantashe's child must also be: EFF's Sihle Lonzi
EFF student command president Sihle Lonzi has spoken out against favouritism and nepotism in government appointments, citing high unemployment in South Africa. Speaking to supporters on Monday at the party's VAT victory march, Lonzi said the party won't tolerate ANC leaders' children being preferred for jobs over others. 'We don't have a problem with the children of ANC politicians and ministers. Our fight with them is not personal, but we have a problem with favouritism and nepotism,' he said. Lonzi's statement came after a recent parliamentary portfolio committee meeting in which he questioned the department of higher education's appointment of Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board chairs. The controversy surrounds Buyambo Mantashe, the son of ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe, who was listed as one of the Seta board chairs. After public outrage, the appointments were withdrawn. The issue was escalated by the high number of unemployed youth in the country, with the unemployment rate increasing by a percentage point to reach 32.9% in the first quarter of the year. Lonzi argued that politicians' children should not be given preferential treatment when many young people are struggling to find jobs. 'We have a problem if the children of politicians jump the line when young people in South Africa are unemployed. 'If we are unemployed, even the child of Ramaphosa must be unemployed. If we are hungry, the child of Mantashe must also be hungry. If we don't have jobs, even the child of Mbalula must not get a job. We are tired of politicians eating while the youth of this country remain hungry.' EFF leader Julius Malema has previously called for South Africans to be prioritised for jobs, regardless of language or connections. 'We don't want to know if you're a relative, we don't want to know which language you speak. If you're South African and qualified, get the job. That should be the position of the EFF councillor. We need to prioritise South Africans and our own constituency.'
The Herald
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
EFF slams MP's removal from parliament after questioning Buyambo Mantashe's Seta board appointment
The EFF has condemned the conduct of chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on higher education and training Tebogo Letsie after EFF MP Sihle Lonzi was forcefully removed from a committee meeting. The incident occurred when Lonzi questioned the director-general about the appointment of Gwede Mantashe's son, Buyambo Mantashe, as chairperson of the manufacturing, engineering and related devices sector education and training authority (merSETA) board. A leaked list of appointments to sector education and training authority (Seta) boards that has been circulating online revealed Mantashe's son as one of the Seta boards' chairpersons with the credentials 'son of ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe'. 'This undemocratic act was not only unparliamentary in nature, but a violent suppression of accountability and a direct attack on the political rights of MPs to exercise oversight over the executive,' EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said. 'Let it be known that Lonzi's only 'crime' was demanding accountability. His question directly addressed the politicisation, cadre deployment, and corruption that has become the defining feature of the ANC's relationship with public institutions.' Other contentious appointments include former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the BANKSETA chairperson and head of the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport Siboniso Mbhele as TETA board member. 'These appointments, made by minister Nobuhle Nkabane, are glaring examples of political patronage, where state institutions intended to empower youth and workers are turned into ANC deployment zones for loyal cadres and family members of the ruling elite.' Thambo said. Thambo accused Letsie of protecting ANC leaders, saying that his actions undermine the credibility of parliament. 'The EFF will not tolerate the politicisation of parliamentary spaces. We reaffirm the right of our members to hold institutions accountable without fear or censorship. The violent removal of Lonzi is not just an attack on him, it is an attack on democracy and the people of South Africa.' TimesLIVE
