Africa-Press – South-Africa. DA MP Karabo Khakhau has written an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa urging him to fire higher education minister Nobuhle Nkabane over the controversial appointment of Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board chairpersons, which were withdrawn after public backlash.
There have been growing calls from other MPs to have Nkabane removed as minister.
“Mr President, you have a lying minister in your cabinet who has been caught red-handed,” Khakhau said in the letter.
“It is time for you to fire Nkabane with immediate effect and to replace her with a minister committed to making higher education work, not committed to making work for ANC insiders.”
Nkabane allegedly misled MPs about an “independent panel” she claimed had approved politically connected individuals for Seta boards.
“She has used a strategy of lying to parliament to try to cover her tracks after she made brazen ANC cadre deployment appointments to the Seta boards. South Africans were rightfully outraged about this.
“Once exposed, and once public pressure mounted, Nkabane made an effective admission of her infringements by withdrawing the appointments. Her ANC cadre deployment had been exposed, roundly criticised and she had to admit defeat.”
In the list of the panel members, Nkabane falsely claimed legal expert advocate Terry Motau was part of the it. She later apologised, saying it was a misunderstanding.
Khakhau said other members on the list were not independent.
“Some are on the payroll of her department and two are political appointments, including a chief of staff, in the office of the ANC minister.”
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa has not yet received the letter from Khakhau. He added MPs do not have the power to demand that Ramaphosa fire Nkabane.
“MPs do not get to direct the president on how to manage and lead the executive,” Magwenya told TimesLIVE. “The principle of separation of powers of the three independent arms of the state must be respected.
“The president has asked for a report from Nkabane, the matter is being attended to. Therefore there’s no need for letters urging the president to act on a matter he is attending to.”
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