Higher education minister Nobuhle Nkabane will appear before parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education and training next week after not appearing on Friday.
The minister was due to account to MPs on the advisory process behind the appointments of chairs to the accounting authorities of the sector education and training authorities (Setas).
Instead, she delivered a keynote address at Buffalo City TVET College and joined a gender-based violence awareness march in the Eastern Cape.
Committee chair Tebogo Letsie received a letter of apology from Nkabane requesting a postponement of the session, which he formally rejected, noting “the seriousness of the matter”. The minister is now set to appear before the committee on Tuesday.
Deputy ministers Buti Manamela and Mimmy Gondwe represented the department.
Of the five individuals previously cited by the minister as part of the advisory process — advocate Terry Motau, chief of staff Nelisiwe Semane, chief director Mabuza Ngubane, deputy director-general Rhulani Ngwenya and adviser Asisipho Solani — only Motau and Ngubane appeared. Semane and Ngwenya were absent and Solani did not respond to the invitation.
Director-general Nkosinathi Sishi is reported to have informed staff that the meeting was cancelled, a claim the committee dismissed. Members resolved to summon Sishi for clarification.
Earlier this year, Nkabane’s initial appointment of 21 Seta board chairs provoked a national outcry when several nominees were found to have ties to the ANC.
The Setas administer more than R8bn in annual skills development levies, making transparent appointments essential for effective workforce training.
In the National Assembly’s budget vote debate earlier this month, the DA formally rejected the department’s R142.7bn allocation, announcing it would withhold support on the grounds that the minister’s conduct had breached public trust and compromised sector integrity.
The minister mislead the committee about the appointment process saying that she had appointed an independent panel to undertake the work.
The formal votes on all departmental budget votes and appropriation bills, including that of the department of higher education are scheduled for Wednesday.
Ngubane submitted a written statement confirming she received a letter dated March 7 appointing her chair of the nomination committee, but that she viewed the role as part of her existing duties, received no terms of reference or additional remuneration and did not convene meetings or screen candidates.
“I reiterate that neither was I involved in setting up meetings, nor screening the nominations of candidates for the Seta chairs,” her letter read.
Motau told the committee he was never formally appointed or instructed by an attorney to join the advisory group and wrote to Nkabane on June 16 to clarify that no engagement had occurred.
The minister’s subsequent response acknowledged she had “failed to reflect objective facts” and that her language had contributed to “public misunderstanding about [Motau’s] actual role”.
Letsie confirmed the inquiry will continue when Nkabane appears before the committee on Tuesday, saying “she still has the right of reply”.
He indicated that procedural discrepancies had prompted calls to refer the matter to the parliamentary ethics committee under established legislative procedures.
The department of higher education & training has been asked to provide further documentation to substantiate its account of the Seta appointment process.
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