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Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Advocate Terry Motau slams minister over claims he chaired controversial Seta appointments panel
'She knows I was not part of this thing. I don't know how she goes on and says I was appointed as a chair and did not attend meetings,' says Motau after Minister Nobuhle Nkabane named him as the chairperson of the independent panel that oversaw controversial Seta board appointments. Renowned legal heavyweight advocate Terry Motau has firmly rejected claims by Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane that he chaired an independent panel tasked with recommending chairpersons for South Africa's Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas). This comes just days after Nkabane, under intense pressure, finally released the long-delayed names of the panel on 17 June 2025 – a panel allegedly responsible for appointing 21 Seta board chairpersons. Among the listed names was Motau as chair. 'She knows I was not part of this thing. I don't know how she goes on and says I was appointed as a chair and did not attend meetings,' said Motau, who insists he was never officially appointed or involved in the final selection process. The appointments made by the panel included ANC politicians Gwede Mantashe's son, Buyambo Mantashe, former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and ex-ANC KZN deputy chairperson Mike Mabuyakhulu. All of these were withdrawn later, after MPs on the Higher Education Committee called it 'corruption' and following a public outcry. When Daily Maverick spoke to Motau, he laid out a different version of events. According to him, Nkabane first contacted him on 18 March 2025, requesting that he chair the panel. He attended a preliminary meeting with the minister's adviser, Asisipho Solani, former Central Energy Fund chair Luvo Makasi and deputy director-general Rhulani Ngwenya to discuss the intended process. A second meeting, scheduled to take place at Motau's chambers with Solani and Ngwenya, was never held. Instead, Motau says he only learnt about the final appointments through media reports, with no further engagement or briefing from the minister's office. 'My appointment was not formalised by an attorney. She called me and said my people tried to get a hold of you but it appeared that you were out of the country. I said nobody tried to contact me… because it is clear that you are not fed the correct information. I am a practising advocate, so without an appointment by an attorney, I can't do it without being instructed by an attorney,' Motau said. Motau said he wrote to Nkabane on 16 June 2025, a day before she published the panel names. 'When I see these names now, it is clear why they did not contact me. My impression is that she decided to go with an internal process, and maybe she didn't come to me and say, 'I no longer intend to go the independent route'.' The panel list released by the minister named Motau as chair, alongside four officials from her department: her adviser Solani, Ngwenya, chief director for Seta coordination Mabuza Ngubane and chief of staff Nelisiwe Semane. Minister 'misled' portfolio committee The committee, which has been questioning Nkabane about the appointments and the panel, released a statement yesterday (Wednesday). 'The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education has expressed concern that it was misled about the composition of the panel responsible for recommending appointments to the boards of Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). 'Committee members feel misled by previous representations made regarding the independence of the panel and the integrity of the appointment process. In particular, the Committee finds the redaction or censoring of some panel member names highly irregular and unacceptable,' it said. The committee said it would summon the minister, along with the panel, to account to the committee and the public about the matter. No date has been issued yet. DA files supplementary ethics complaint against Nkabane The DA has filed a supplementary ethics complaint against Nkabane after it learnt that Motau wrote to Nkabane claiming he had nothing to do with the process. This complaint is an addition to the ethics complaint submitted yesterday. 'The standing complaint is about the minister misleading Parliament when she stated that the panel consisted of independent people and subsequently informed Parliament that they were not independent at all. However, now in light of the new information that an alleged member of the panel denies participating, one can only wonder if a panel did ever exist or whether the minister simply provided a list of names to Parliament of persons she believed would cover for her,' the DA's Karabo Khakhau said. The DA says it will also escalate the matter to the Public Protector for misleading and allegedly lying to Parliament in violation of her binding ethics code as a minister. Asked by Daily Maverick what would happen since he is named in the panel, Motau said: 'I don't have anything, I'm not being briefed, and there's nothing to talk about. If she wants me to do something, I'll do it. If she doesn't, she doesn't. But for me, truth and integrity come first.' DM
TimesLIVE
11-06-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Higher education minister keeps up stonewalling on 'SETA panel'
Higher education and training minister Nobuhle Nkabane continues to dig in her heels over the submission to parliament of the names of the 'independent selection panel' she relied on to make controversial appointments to SETA boards last month. Nkabane had until the close of business on Wednesday to submit records and minutes of the meeting of the 'independent panel' that she says advised on the appointments of the chairpersons of Sector Education and Training Authorities that she was last month ordered to reverse by the presidency. But at the eleventh-hour on Wednesday, it emerged that Nkabane wrote a letter dated June 10 to Tebego Letsie, an ANC MP who chairs the portfolio committee on higher education, asking that the June 10 deadline be extended by a further 20 days, to June 20. The higher education committee had given her the deadline of June 11 last week after she refused to disclose the names and full details of her 'independent panel' at a heated meeting, with Nkabane citing the Protection of Personal Information Act. Nkabane landed in hot water several weeks ago after it emerged that she had appointed controversial and politically connected people to chair the boards of the SETAs. Among them were Buyambo Mantashe, the son of minerals minister Gwede Mantashe who was once deputised by Nkabane in that portfolio. Also on the controversial list were former KZN premier Nomusa Ncube-Dube, former KZN MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu and Johannesburg MMC Loyiso Masuku. The move has pitted Nkabane against President Cyril Ramaphosa, who first ordered her to withdraw the names and most recently also asked her to submit a report to him on the matter. Sources in the higher echelons are adamant that Nkabane's stonewalling on this issue is slowly catching up with her and she will soon run out of options, with some casting doubt on the existence of the 'independent selection panel'. In her letter to Letsie, which has since been shared with all members of the higher education committee, she placed on 'record and confirm my full intention to comply with the portfolio committee's request'. Again citing the POPIA and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Nkabane said she needed more time to ensure that the information she was preparing to send to parliament would be disclosed in a lawful manner. She told her oversight committee that she had been 'assured that I am legally permitted to disclosed the panellists' details in a lawful manner'. 'For these reasons and in acknowledgment of the panellists' rights to privacy, I have written to each of the members of the selection and evaluation panel and advised them of my intention to comply with the portfolio committee's request. 'However, it remains unlikely that my engagements with them will be completed by the 11 June 2025 deadline. In the circumstances, and to allow the panel members an opportunity to respond to my letter or exercise whatever right they may have, I request an extension of the deadline to 30 June 2025.' The higher education committee was expected to discuss its response to Nkabane's deadline request in the coming days.
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Nkabane calls for public nominations for SETA chairpersons following controversial appointments
Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has given the members of the public wishing to make nominations for appointments of the chairpersons of the boards of Sector Education and Training Authorities until June 12. Image: Sibonelo Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has called on members of the public to nominate chairpersons for the 21 Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) boards. This call comes hot on the heels of widespread outrage over a leaked list of appointments that saw several ANC-aligned individuals being selected for the key chairperson positions. Among the controversial appointees were former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Buyambo Mantashe, son of ANC national chairperson and Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe. The backlash from civil society and political parties forced Nkabane to withdraw the appointments and initiate a fresh process for nomination. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ At the time of the withdrawal of the appointments earlier this month, Nkabane had undertaken to re-open the nominations for a limited run of seven days and also establish a new independent panel to process the nominations and recommend candidates. In a notice published on Thursday, Nkabane invited nominations for the appointments of chairpersons of the boards for 21 SETAs. 'Interested stakeholders in the relevant sectors are invited to nominate suitably qualified candidates in possession of NQF level 8 qualification coupled with, amongst others, a blend of knowledge, skills, and experience required for the effective functioning of the SETA,' she said. Nkabane also said competent candidates should preferably have an extensive wealth of sectoral knowledge, technical experience, and leadership capability. 'Preference will be given to people with disabilities, youth, and women during the nomination within policy and legislative context.' Nkabane said candidates who were nominated in response to the previous Gazette may be renominated if they are still willing to be considered for appointment as SETA chairpersons. The newly appointed chairpersons will assume their duties from the date of appointment until March 2030. Nkabane said those wishing to make nominations have until June 12. The notice for nominations came days after the Higher Education Portfolio Committee postponed a meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday. The meeting was postponed due to the unavailability of an alternative venue, as the original venue was used as a lock-up facility in preparation for Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's Budget speech. Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie said the meeting was to discuss Nkabane's decision to withdraw the appointments of SETA chairpersons and to restart the appointment process. 'This meeting with the minister is of critical importance. It must take place as soon as possible to ensure the committee fully understands the rationale behind the decision to restart the appointment process,' Letsie said.
