‘Firing Nkabane alone is unfair, Simelane, Ntshavheni must go too,’ says analyst
SASCO and political parties push for Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane’s dismissal, but one political expert says other corrupt accused ministers should also be held accountable.
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The South African Students Congress (SASCO) has joined a growing number of voices calling for the removal of Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane, but one political analyst says she should not be fired alone while other ministers accused of corruption remain.
SASCO, which has joined parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA), has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to dismiss Nkabane.
Nkabane is facing mounting allegations of corruption and misleading Parliament about the process used to appoint the SETA board members - a list which was dominated by African National Congress (ANC) affiliates, including the son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, Buyambo.
Addressing the media on Sunday, SASCO President Alungile Amtshe said Nkabane had failed students on multiple fronts, including by failing to appoint a National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
"The crisis facing students today is not incidental. It is the direct result of poor governance by the Department of Higher Education and Training and the opportunistic, malicious, and poor bourgeoisie agenda by the university and college management," Amtshe said.
“We contend that DHET, led by Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, within the government of national unity, has consistently failed to deliver on its most basic responsibilities - from the catastrophic delays in NSFAS disbursements to the flawed appointment of strategic boards meant to accelerate access to education and training.”
Amtshe also criticised the chronic underfunding of institutions that serve working-class communities and accused university managers of treating higher education as a profit-driven enterprise.
“These managements are complicit in the systemic exclusion of Black and working-class students, perpetuating a two-tier education system that serves capital, not the people,” he said.
He added that SASCO has no choice but to take a “drastic stance” and called for Nkabane’s immediate removal.
Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu told IOL News that calls for Nkabane’s firing appear selective, pointing out that other ministers implicated in corruption allegations remain in office.
“There have been mounting calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Nkabane, but what are they saying about Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane? It will be unfair to focus on Nkabane while ignoring others,” Mngomezulu said.
Simelane, while mayor of Polokwane, allegedly took out a R575,600 loan from the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank to purchase a Sandton coffee shop.
She has since denied any wrongdoing and was later moved from the Justice and Constitutional Development Ministry to Human Settlements.
Simelane also faced scrutiny for alleged inflated billing linked to a R700,000 Eskom contract, which she vehemently denied.
Another minister under fire is Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the minister in the presidency, who was under the Hawks investigation for R2.5 million in alleged tender fraud dating back to her time in the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, in Limpopo.
She has not responded to the allegations. However, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has defended her, saying the party would only respond when it has “something tangible.”
The controversy intensified following public outcry in May after Nkabane recommended several politically connected individuals for the SETA boards.
Critics have accused Nkabane of political patronage and misleading Parliament regarding the selection process.
She later withdrew the list of appointees; however, calls for her dismissal have grown.
Following mounting criticism, in his Cabinet reshuffling last week on Thursday, President Ramaphosa did not remove Nkabane.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
IOL Politics