Latest news with #SectorEducationandTrainingAuthority
Eyewitness News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Parly committee concerned about being misled by Nkabane on SETA board selection panel
CAPE TOWN - The portfolio committee on higher education has expressed concern that it was misled by Minister Nobuhle Nkabane about the composition of the panel responsible for selecting Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) board members. The committee now wants Nkabane to account before the committee and give further details about the panel that recommended the appointments of politically connected chairpersons of the SETA boards. The committee took the decision on Wednesday after Nkabane finally released the names of the panel she claimed was independent, despite including senior officials from her department. ALSO READ: • Parly committee urged to lodge criminal complaint against Nkabane over SETA board selection panel • DA refers Higher Education Minister Nkabane to ethics committee 'for lying to Parliament' Committee members said the panel members listed in a letter by the minister did not reflect the independence she initially claimed at the last meeting. Committee chairperson, Tebogo Letsie, said this raised serious questions about the transparency and integrity of the appointment process. He said committee members believed they were misled by previous representations and would seek advice on how to deal with Nkabane. "There's a process that must be followed. We must engage with legal on the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliaments and Provincial Legislatures Act where people mislead or lie to Parliament. There's a process that must be followed." Letsie said the committee was also alarmed by the revelation in the minister's letter that the purported chairperson of the panel did not attend any of its meetings, which raised further questions about who chaired the meeting and oversaw the selection of candidates for SETA boards.
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Nkabane reveals names of panellists who oversaw controversial Seta board appointments
After weeks of mounting pressure, Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has released the list of panellists who assisted her with the appointments of 21 Seta board chairpersons — several of whom are linked to ANC politicians. Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane initially refused to disclose the names of the independent panel responsible for appointing the chairpersons of 21 Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) boards. Among the board chairpersons were people connected to the ANC, including Gwede Mantashe's son, Buyambo Mantashe, former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and ex-ANC KZN provincial deputy chairperson Mike Mabuyakhulu. All these appointments were withdrawn by Nkabane after a public outcry. Nkabane revealed the names after requests from frustrated members of the parliamentary committee on higher education. Independent panel The long-awaited names of the independent panel established by the Nkabane include advocate Terry Motau SC, who conducted investigative work into the collapse of VBS Mutual Bank, where he was commissioned by the South African Reserve Bank to lead a forensic probe. His findings — summarised in the 2018 report, The Great Bank Heist — detail how about R1.8-billion was misappropriated, implicating more than 50 individuals in high-level fraud. Motau has also contributed to the Investigating Directorate under the National Prosecuting Authority and to the Zondo commission as an investigator. Motau did not attend any of the panel's meetings. Another member is Asisipho Solani, who is an adviser to Nkabane and usually accompanies the minister to oversight and committee meetings. Solani was a South African Students Congress leader at the University of the Western Cape and is a lecturer at the University of South Africa. Also part of the panel is Nelisiwe Semane, who has been chief of staff in Nkabane's office since September 2024, according to her LinkedIn profile. The other two members are deputy director-general for corporate services in the Department of Higher Education and Training Rhulani Ngwenya and chief director for Seta coordination Mabuza Ngubane. During a parliamentary committee meeting early this month, Ngwenya was part of Nkabane's team that came under the scrutiny of MP Sihle Lonzi. These were the five members who were responsible for assisting Nkabane in making decisions on the Seta boards' chairpersons. During a parliamentary committee meeting, it was revealed that there had been no vetting to ensure that these panel members were suitable. Missed deadline Nkabane was given until 12 June 2025 to submit the names to the committee, but she missed the deadline due to her concerns over the panellists' rights to privacy. Although she asked for an extension until 30 June, she has now submitted the names. Higher Education spokesperson Camagwini Mavovana told Daily Maverick that Nkabane 'is determined to ensure that Sector Education and Training Authorities and all institutions under the Department of Higher Education and Training deliver tangible outcomes, empowering young people and addressing unemployment.' The Seta board appointments caused chaos at the parliamentary committee meeting on 14 May and 2 June 2025, leading to the eviction of the EFF's Sihle Lonzi after he questioned Department of Higher Education and Training Director-General Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, and called the Seta board appointments 'corrupt'. Chairperson of the committee Tebogo Letsie told Daily Maverick, 'We're very happy, as the committee, that she has furnished us with the names. We had not yet discussed whether we were going to agree to give her the extension to 30 June.' Despite Nkabane submitting the names, the Democratic Alliance's Karabo Khakhau will refer Nkabane to the ethics committee for misleading the committee, because she had said that all the panellists were independent. The committee will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to call the minister to appear before it. A statement released by the the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education on Wednesday stated that 'After reviewing the letter submitted by the Minister of Higher Education, 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). Members of the Committee said the information provided through the letter does not reflect the independence initially claimed and that its raises serious questions about the transparency and integrity of the appointment process.' The statement went on to say that '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. Furthermore, the committee is alarmed by the revelation in the Minister's letter that the purported Chairperson of the panel did not attend any of its meetings raising further questions about who chaired the panel meetings and oversaw the selection of candidates for SETA boards.' DM
Daily Maverick
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Minister Nkabane fails to submit names of panel that oversaw controversial Seta board appointments
Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has missed a deadline to reveal the names of an independent panel that endorsed the appointments of politically connected Seta board chairpersons. Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane was asked to submit the names of the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) Board Chairpersons Selection and Evaluation Panel to the parliamentary committee on higher education on 11 June 2025. The five-member panel was responsible for the selection process in the appointment of 21 chairpersons for Seta boards in May. The committee requested the names of the panel after it was discovered that ANC politicians had been selected, including Gwede Mantashe's son, Buyambo Mantashe, who has been appointed chairperson of the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Seta. Also named are former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and ex-ANC KZN provincial deputy chairperson Mike Mabuyakhulu. In a letter seen by Daily Maverick, written by Nkabane to the chairperson of the parliamentary committee Tebogo Letsie, Nkabane has requested an extension of the deadline to 30 June 2025. According to Nkabane, she was concerned over whether the disclosure of the names and details would violate the panellists' rights to privacy. However, she has now recognised that she is legally permitted to disclose the panellists' details. 'I remain concerned that the disclosure may invite unwarranted or unwanted public vitriol against the panel members, as I have experienced… 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,' said Nkabane. Nkabane's response comes after members of the committee and the public raised concerns over the non-disclosure of the selection panellists' names. The Seta board appointments caused chaos at the committee meeting on 14 May and on 2 June 2025, even leading to the eviction of the EFF's Sihle Lonzi after he questioned Higher Education Department Director-General Dr Nkosinathi Sishi. Lonzi called the Seta board appointments 'corrupt'. Nkabane had previously said the reversal was solely due to public reaction and that the appointing process had been flawless. 'We saw what was trending on social media… I took it upon myself as a responsible citizen to say, 'Listen, I could pick [up] that among the issues were the recommended candidates to serve as chairs; they are viewed as more politically associated with some of the politicians within the movement, and I decided I must take the concerns of the public,' said Nkabane. 'Time's up' – deadline extension frustrates MPs Members of the parliamentary committee voiced their frustrations about the minister's request for a deadline extension. Karabo Khakhau (DA) said this was completely unacceptable. 'Minister Nkabane needs no permission to furnish the committee with those names if they exist. Secondly, the minister has had more than enough time to receive permission from the panel to reveal their names. The minister's time is now up. There is no more room to manoeuvre. The committee has exhausted its generosity. Minister Nkabane cannot run away from being held accountable for her attempted politicisation of the appointment of the Seta board chairpersons. The chickens are coming home to roost,' said Khakhau. Higher education committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie also expressed disappointment at Nkabane's extension request. 'We … felt we had given her enough time to comply. The committee will meet on Wednesday, 18 June, to pave the way forward on what to do,' said Letsie. Ramaphosa seeks answers Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa requested that Nkabane report to him on the matter. Nkabane drew public ire after videos of her at the meeting chewing gum and being dismissive of MPs' questioning went viral. After the meeting, the minister took to X to explain herself. 'Claims that I was rude or disrespectful are false and based on misleading clips taken out of context. I did not disrupt the process,' she wrote.
Daily Maverick
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Ramaphosa demands answers from Minister Nkabane over Seta appointments and conduct in Parliament
President Ramaphosa expects that members of the executive 'conduct themselves professionally, transparently and cordially in engaging with Parliament and other accountability structures', says the Presidency. President Cyril Ramaphosa has requested Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane to report to him about her recent behaviour in Parliament and contentious Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board appointments that have since been withdrawn. 'President Ramaphosa has noted the content from and media commentary on the appearance of the Honourable Dr Nobuhle Nkabane before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on 30 May 2025,' said Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya at a press conference at the Union Buildings on Thursday night. 'The President appreciates that what he has seen may not constitute the full scope or context of the engagement, therefore the President has requested that the minister provide him with a detailed report on the decorum and substance of her engagement with Parliament,' he continued. Magwenya said Ramaphosa had also requested a report on 'the process undertaken to appoint the board members to the Sector Education and Training Authority that were at the centre of the portfolio committee's questions'. Nkabane's appearance before Parliament followed leaked information last month about questionable appointments of chairpersons to Seta boards. Among the contentious appointees were Ramaphosa's allies, former KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and former ANC deputy chairperson in KZN Mike Mabuyakhulu, along with Buyambo Mantashe, the son of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, Daily Maverick's Siyabonga Goni reported. The appointments of several ANC associates sparked immediate furore from MPs, who demanded answers. On 16 May, Nkabane announced that she was withdrawing the appointments 'in response to public concerns'. She said she would issue a Government Gazette calling for fresh nominations to the board for a period of seven days. A new independent panel would also be established to process the nominations and recommend candidates, according to Nkabane. Appearing before Parliament's higher education portfolio committee on Friday, 30 May, Nkabane, however, refused to disclose the names of the independent panel members and maintained that there were no flaws in the original appointment process, Daily Maverick reported. Nkabane also drew the ire of the South African public after videos went viral of her seemingly chewing gum and being dismissive of MPs' questioning in the meeting. After the meeting, the minister took to X to explain why she was chewing. 'Claims that I was rude or disrespectful are false and based on misleading clips taken out of context. I did not disrupt the process,' she wrote. 3. Claims that I was rude or disrespectful are false and based on misleading clips taken out of context. I did not disrupt the process. 4. I respect the work of Parliament and remain fully accountable to the Committee and the South African public. — Dr Nobuhle Nkabane (@Dr_NobuhleN) June 1, 2025 On Thursday night, Magwenya said Ramaphosa expected Nkabane to 'establish a constructive relationship with the portfolio committee as she exercises her leadership and accountability. 'The request for the report is in view of the President's expectation that ministers, deputy ministers and senior executives in the public sector conduct themselves professionally, transparently and cordially in engaging with Parliament and other accountability structures. 'The public broadcast of parliamentary proceedings and the viral spread of content from, and public comment on, these proceedings demand that all ministers and senior officials remain conscious of all aspects of their conduct during such proceedings,' he said. Magwenya did not confirm when Nkabane was expected to present her report to Ramaphosa. 'The President is attending to the matter… When it comes to deadlines and the substance of reports, it's often better to just leave it between the President and the minister concerned. Otherwise you're running the risk of the President managing issues with members of his national executive in the public domain, which is not ideal,' he said. In a statement issued on X after Magwenya's briefing, Nkabane acknowledged that the 'situation could have been handled differently'. I have noted the concerns raised by various stakeholders. Upon reflection, and having considered the feedback, I acknowledge that the situation could have been handled differently. I value the critical role of Parliament in providing oversight. — Dr Nobuhle Nkabane (@Dr_NobuhleN) June 5, 2025 'I intend to inculcate and maintain a constructive, respectful, and professional working relationship with all members of Parliament. I remain committed to the principles of accountability, good governance, and cooperative governance as outlined in our Constitution and parliamentary protocols. It was never my intention to evade accountability or undermine the decorum of Parliament,' she said. DM
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.
