DA to lay criminal charges against Nkabane for lying to Parliament

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced plans to lay criminal charges against Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane for allegedly lying to Parliament.

The charges will be filed on Tuesday at the Cape Town Central Police Station, ahead of Nkabane’s budget debate in the NCOP.

The charge-laying will be led by DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille, DA deputy chief whip Baxolile Nodada, and DA national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau.

In its statement, the party said: “The DA will not stand for ANC corruption in the National Executive, or anywhere in Government.”

This action follows growing tensions within the Government of National Unity (GNU), a multiparty coalition formed after the 2024 general elections.

The ANC, having lost its outright parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994, entered into the GNU with several parties, including the DA. However, the alliance has been plagued by internal strife, with the DA accusing the ANC of violating the coalition’s founding principles.

At the weekend, DA leader John Steenhuisen announced the party’s immediate withdrawal from the GNU’s National Dialogue, citing a breakdown in trust and alleging that President Cyril Ramaphosa is shielding ANC Ministers accused of corruption.

Steenhuisen accused Ramaphosa of “arrogance, disrespect and double standards,” and criticised the unilateral appointment of a “bloated” executive, as well as the sidelining of GNU partners in decision-making processes.

One of the key turning points was the dismissal of former DA Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield over a travel permission dispute, an incident the DA says exemplifies the ANC’s double standards.

“The flagrant double standard that protects the likes of Minister Thembi Simelane and Nkabane but acts against Whitfield proves that in the ANC’s universe, the only things you dare not be are competent, honest, and hard-working,” Steenhuisen said.

In response, the DA has vowed to vote against budget allocations for departments headed by Ministers it deems compromised, including those led by Simelane and Nkabane. However, the party stated it would not block the overall GNU budget, citing a need to maintain national stability.

Steenhuisen also hinted that the party may consider tabling a Motion of No Confidence in the President if no corrective action is taken.

However, PA's deputy president Kenny Kunene defended Ramaphosa and said he had acted within his powers when he dismissed deputy minister of trade, industry and competition Whitfield.

“I want to make it categorically clear that the DA does not hold any cards whatsoever. As the Patriotic Alliance, we will defend the president. We will make sure that we mobilise to ensure that this motion of no confidence against the president must not succeed,” Kunene told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.

“The Democratic Alliance has the propensity to want to be in the media space by bringing motions of no confidence. In Joburg, they sponsored a motion of no confidence against the mayor, knowing exactly that they do not have the numbers. Now they want to do the same with President Ramaphosa.”

Kunene said the DA’s threat of a motion of confidence “must be condemned in the strongest terms”.

“The President only has this prerogative because of his partners in the GNU. Without the DA’s numbers in Parliament, Ramaphosa has no such prerogative,” he warned.

As previously reported by IOL, Zille stated that the DA would continue to oppose budget votes for ministers such as Simelane and Nkabane, whom she accused of serious misconduct.

“Nkabane lied to Parliament. That’s probably the gravest thing you can do in a democracy,” Zille said.

“So that is why we’re voting against her.” She added that Simelane, now Minister of Human Settlements and formerly in Justice, was linked to the VBS looting scandal. ''They’ve done terrible things, and we are going to vote against them to show our displeasure,” she said. 

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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