Why Nobuhle Nkabane Had to Go: A Wake-Up Call for South Africa’s Higher Education

Accountability finally knocks on higher education’s door

There was no collective gasp when President Cyril Ramaphosa showed Minister Nobuhle Nkabane the door this week. If anything, the reaction across campuses, on social media, and even within the corridors of higher education institutions was one of quiet relief. For many, her exit was overdue.

Nkabane’s time as Minister of Higher Education and Training was short, turbulent, and defined more by what she failed to do than what she accomplished. Her leadership came under fire for misleading Parliament about the appointment of the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board, a blunder that was less about error and more about trust.

But the Seta saga was just the tip of a much deeper problem.

NSFAS Crisis: Where Leadership Was Most Needed

If South Africa’s university students were to choose one moment when Nkabane lost the room, it would be her handling of the NSFAS payment debacle. The new direct payment system, outsourced to third-party providers, was rolled out chaotically. Instead of streamlining financial aid, it left students stranded, with delayed payments, misdirected funds, and zero accountability.

Student protests erupted countrywide, and the South African Union of Students repeatedly warned the department. But their calls were met with silence. Even urgent meeting requests were ignored. Nkabane’s rare public statements sounded more like defence arguments than plans for action. In a sector where young people already feel neglected, her aloofness made things worse.

No Vision, No Dialogue, No Impact

University vice-chancellors reported an alarming lack of engagement from Nkabane’s office. Campus safety, infrastructure backlogs, and even routine funding queries went unanswered. Instead of leading from the front, she vanished into the background during key moments.

Even in public speeches, she failed to inspire. Lofty talk about inclusion and transformation wasn’t backed by policy. There were no bold moves on curriculum reform, no serious attention to digital learning, and certainly no strategy for fixing the education-to-employment disconnect that plagues thousands of graduates.

Performance Over Politics? A Promising Shift

What makes this dismissal different is that, for once, it doesn’t appear rooted in factional politics. Ramaphosa’s decision to fire Nkabane and elevate long-serving deputy minister Buti Manamela reads like a quiet but deliberate pivot toward performance. Manamela, already respected for his deep understanding of the portfolio and his accessibility to stakeholders, may just be the right person to stabilise the department.

And South Africans have noticed.

On X (formerly Twitter), hashtags like #NSFASFail and #NkabaneOut have trended for months. The response to her firing? A mix of “finally” and “what took so long?” Even student leaders often divided are largely in agreement: accountability has arrived.

Will This Be the New Normal?

Let’s be honest. For years, cabinet reshuffles in South Africa have looked more like political musical chairs than serious governance decisions. Ministers underperforming were rarely held to account, unless political winds changed.

But firing a minister for how they do the job, not just who they are aligned with? That’s new. And it’s refreshing.

It’s too early to tell if this is the start of a real shift in governance culture. But if South Africa is serious about solving its youth unemployment crisis, rebuilding trust in education, and unlocking economic growth, then higher education can’t afford weak leadership. Not now.

Nobuhle Nkabane’s dismissal is more than a headline. It’s a signal. It says the performance bar just got raised. Let’s hope it stays there, because South Africa’s future depends on it.

{Source: The Citizen}

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