Higher Education minister in hot water

MPs are once again gunning for Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane- this time over allegations that she misled the  Portfolio Committee on Higher Education about the composition of the panel responsible for recommending appointments to the boards of Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).

 This was after the committee found that the letter she provided did not reflect the independence initially claimed in the appointments, which it said raises serious questions about the transparency and integrity of the appointment process.

 On Tuesday, the committee confirmed that Nkabane had submitted the nominations of the panel for the SETA boards. They included Adv Terry Motau, SC, Asisipho Solani, Nelisiwe Semane,  Mabuza Ngubane,  Rhulani Ngwenya.

The minister was forced to go back to the drawing board when it emerged that she had initially appointed several ANC members, including individuals from KwaZulu-Natal and Buyambo Mantashe, the son of ANC National Chairperson Gwede to the  (SETAs).

In a statement yesterday, committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie said MPs believe they were misled by previous representations made regarding the independence of the new panel and the integrity of the appointment process. The names submitted appear to be an extension of the ministry and not an independent panel, as previously claimed, said the committee. 

According to the DA, panel members Solani is the ministerial advisor to Nkabane, Semane, the chief of staff in her office, Ngubane, the chief director responsible for SETA coordination, and Ngwenya, the department’s deputy director-general for corporate services.

The committee now wants Nkabane to appear before it alongside her Deputy Ministers, the Director-General, and members of the independent panel to explain the process and respond to the committee’s concerns. 

“The committee is alarmed by the revelation in the Minister’s letter that the purported Chairperson of the panel (Motau) did not attend any of its meetings, which raises further questions about who chaired the panel meetings and oversaw the selection of candidates for SETA boards. The committee has therefore requested to be privileged with all minutes of the panel’s meetings.”

 Letsie said it does not inspire confidence when officials appear before Parliament and misrepresent facts 

“We will write to the Minister to inform her of our intention to summon her before the committee to provide answers regarding the SETA board appointments. We are extremely disappointed by the list we have received, especially after having spent the entire day on 30 May interrogating the issue of the panel’s independence.”

Meanwhile the DA has threatened to report  Nkabane to the Ethics Committee for allegedly misleading Parliament.

 DA MP Karabo Khakhau also stated that Nkabane failed to reveal all names, as one panel member's name was concealed due to their discomfort with being disclosed.

“The minister also concealed two other names from the National Skills Authority Selection and Evaluation Panel, as well as one from the Universities Council Ministerial Appointments, and the Selection and Evaluation Panel for the Council for Higher Education (CHE),” she said.

Speaking on Newzroom Afrika, Nkabane’s spokesperson, Camagwini Mavovana said the minister had wanted to appoint a panel that was free from vested interests within the SETA governance structures, and stated that the people linked to the panel have no wrongdoing and accusations against them.

She confirmed that Motau did not attend the panel’s meetings because of other commitments and that the panel was an advisory committee, not something like a board.

Cape Times