Sishi defends against accusations in SETA board chair appointments

Higher Education Department Director-General Nkosinathi Sishi on Tuesday bitterly complained about being unfairly implicated in the work of the panel that recommended cancelled appointments of chairpersons of Sector and Education Training Authorities (SETAs) boards.

This is after ANC MP Tshepo Louw said Sishi must be brought to book for misleading Parliament when the Higher Education Portfolio Committee interrogated officials who were part of the panel, but could not attend the meeting last Friday.

Sishi was on the hot seat after the ANC failed in its push to quash the investigation because former minister Nobuhle Nkabane was no longer a minister, but in a vote by MPs, it was decided that officials testify and Nkabane be summoned to give her side of the story.

Louw highlighted that Deputy Director-General Rhulani Ngwenya deposed a statement that following consultation between Sishi and Nkabane, a decision was taken to relocate the responsibility of managing nominations for non-executive board members of entities to her directorate.

He insisted that Ngwenya had indicated that Sishi was quite informed and involved in the process.

“I conclude that part of the problems at the department is the DG, who had a duty to advise and play an administrative oversight role,” he said.

In response, Sishi asked for protection from committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie.

He stated that it was implied he may have influenced certain officials to miss the previous meeting while he was out of the country and someone else was acting in his position.

Sishi said even though Ngwenya apologised for the confusion over the cancellation of the committee meeting, no apology was made to him.

“Some members of this committee have tried to move out from the purpose of the questions to try to suggest I was involved, or I might have participated. I have indicated consistently all the time I have been here that I really would like to appoint chairpersons … but the law does not allow me to do so.”

He said that on the day he saw the list of chairpersons to be appointed, he was with everyone else.

“There was absolutely no time to intervene at that stage. I feel I am unfairly placed in a position where not even the slightest indication by those who were involved includes the DG in what they say, but some people want to include the DG. I think it is unfair,” Sishi said.

Earlier, Sishi indicated that he never saw the list of preferred candidates nor received an email other than when it was tabled at a meeting with the National Skills Authority.

“I never even knew who would eventually be on that list. I accepted that the law does not allow me to appoint a board chair. If we were to be part of the panel, it would be at the discretion of the accounting authority,” he said.

Testifying before the committee, chief of staff Nelisiwe Semane, ministerial advisor Asisipho Solani, and Ngwenya denied being involved in the work of the panel despite being named by Nkabane as panellists.

Semane said her name appeared on the list because Nkabane submitted a list that includes all the panels that she appointed since taking office.

“I did not participate in the selection and recommendation of SETAs accounting authority chairpersons but participated in the process for the recommendation of SETAs accounting authorities and not board chairpersons,” she said.

Ngwenya said she was appointed to provide secretarial support to the panel.

“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.

Solani, who was assigned to the nomination committee, said: “I discharged this role in my capacity as advisor to the minister and no compensation beyond my regular salary was provided.” 

The trio said the panel never convened any formal meeting and was not aware how the names of recommended chairpersons came about.

Sishi said it was very clear from what the officials were saying that there weren't any meetings that were held.

“Clearly, the names considered could have come from the accounting authority, who produced the list tabled to the National Skills Authority,” said Sishi.

Letsie said it was clear from the testimonies by the officials that there was never a panel for SETA boards.

“Maybe, there was an intention to have a panel. Maybe it was not implemented in the true sense of the word,” he said.

“This thing could have been easily avoided. If there was no panel, there was no need to say there was a panel,” added Letsie.

Cape Times