Africa-Press – South-Africa. Chairperson of the portfolio committee on higher education, Tebogo Letsie, has welcomed the submission of a letter from minister of higher education and training, Nobuhle Nkabane, containing the names of panel members appointed to oversee the selection and recommendation of chairpersons for the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas).
In a statement issued by the committee, Letsie said: “We are pleased that sanity has prevailed and that the minister has now complied with this requirement. The committee believes this disclosure should have occurred from the outset.”
The minister’s compliance comes after sustained pressure from the committee, which argued that parliament had the constitutional right to know who was appointed to carry out this crucial function in the governance of Setas.
Letsie reiterated the committee’s firm stance on accountability: “We are dealing with public institutions funded through parliamentary appropriations. It was therefore baffling that the committee had to strongly remind the minister of such a basic accountability requirement in our democratic governance system.”
The panel members, as submitted by the minister, are:
Advocate Terry Motau SC (chairperson) — though the committee noted he did not attend any of the meetings;
Asisipho Solani;
Nelisiwe Semane;
Mabuza Ngubane; and
Rhulani Ngwenya.
Letsie confirmed that the committee will now move to the next phase of oversight.
“The committee will now engage with the minister further on the processes followed in appointing chairpersons to lead South Africa’s 21 Setas,” he said.
The Setas are public bodies responsible for promoting skills development and training in various sectors of the economy. The controversy over board appointments began when concerns were raised over transparency and allegations of political favouritism in the initial selection process.
Parliament is expected to further review the processes followed to ensure they meet governance and ethical standards.
A statement issued by the ministry of higher education and training says that Nkabane stands ready to respond to the portfolio committee and to further requests for information in this regard.
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