Pressure mounts on Ramaphosa to act against Nkabane
Pressure is mounting on President Cyril Ramaphosa to take action against Minister of Higher Education, Nobuhle Nkabane, reports The Citizen.
This after the DA, has filed criminal charges against Nkabane at the Cape Town Police Station.
It has been reported that Nkabane is accused of lying to Parliament and mismanaging the Sector Education & Training Authority (Seta) boards. DA spokesperson and member of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education & Training, Karabo Khakhau, accused Nkabane of lying to Parliament to protect the appointments of ANC-linked individuals to various Seta boards.
‘Minister Nkabane told Parliament that the appointment process was overseen by an “independent” evaluation panel. However, it has now been exposed that the so-called panel was stacked with individuals from her own department and political allies, including her chief of staff and an ANC Youth League leader,’ said Khakhau.
Khakhau said Nkabane has broken the law and violated her oath of office.
‘The DA will not stand by while Ministers who lie, manipulate processes, and protect ANC cronies, remain in office,’ she said.
The Cape Times reports that Nkabane's spokesperson says the DA's decision to lodge a criminal complaint against the Minister appeared to be a tactic aimed at drawing attention away from 'the real work of governance and development'.
'The Minister has consistently acted in good faith and within the bounds of the law,' Nkabane's spokesperson Camagwini Mavovana said.
The Citizen notes that the EFF has also complained about irregular financial activities at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
It has written to the acting CEO complaining about some irregular payments.
‘Given that NSFAS spends over R14bn on student accommodation, a figure that will undoubtedly grow, it is outrageous that hundreds of millions, if not billions of rands, could be diverted to a handful of companies without ethical and transparent processes or regulatory oversight,’ the party said.
Political analyst Theo Neethling said Ramaphosa is under immense pressure to act on several complaints against Nkabane.
‘The SA Students Federation accused the Minister of undermining public trust and failing to serve the interests of students. The MKP has echoed these calls, stating that Minister Nkabane is unfit to serve in her current role. With multiple political and civil society actors joining the chorus of criticism, both Minister Nkabane and President Ramaphosa now face mounting pressure from several quarters,’ he said.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
