Buti Manamela Faces Backlash Over ‘Unfit’ Seta Board Appointments

Barely weeks into his new role as South Africa’s higher education minister, Buti Manamela is already facing heavy criticism over his first major decision, appointing administrators to head three troubled Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas).

The move, intended to stabilise Setas that have long been plagued by corruption and poor governance, has instead sparked outrage from opposition parties who say the appointments reek of ANC cadre deployment.

Cadre deployment or turnaround strategy?

Manamela announced that new administrators would take charge of the Services Seta, Construction Seta (Ceta), and the Local Government Seta (LGSETA). He argued they had a clear mandate: restore integrity, enforce consequence management, and ensure students and workers are not left behind.

But the DA’s higher education spokesperson, Karabo Khakhau, is unconvinced. “These appointees are unfit,” she said. “They’ve been implicated in corruption, fraud, or mismanagement before. How can they be trusted to fix what they already helped break?”

Khakhau added that the DA has written to Manamela, demanding the appointments be reversed in favour of independent, non-political candidates.

The faces behind the controversy

Among the administrators are names that have already raised eyebrows:

• Oupa Nkoane, a former municipal manager at the Emfuleni Local Municipality, was implicated in a forensic report for mismanaging R872 million.

• Lehlohonolo Masoga, once an ANC Limpopo MEC, was cited in a forensic investigation for backdating a R4.4 million communications contract while CEO of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone.

• Zukile Mvalo, a senior official in the Department of Higher Education, has overseen Setas for the past eight years a period critics say has been defined by ongoing instability and failure.

For Khakhau, this lineup proves Manamela has failed his “first test” and risks going down the same path as his predecessor, Nobuhle Nkabane, who was forced to backtrack on her own Seta board appointments after parliamentary backlash.

A costly system failing South Africans

Setas were originally designed to tackle South Africa’s critical skills shortage and make young people more employable. But a study by the Bureau for Economic Research found that despite consuming R20 billion a year in tax revenue, Setas benefit less than 1% of the workforce.

Critics argue that instead of creating skills pipelines, Setas have become cash cows for politically connected board members and consultants.

“Setas are meant to empower workers,” one frustrated social media user posted. “Instead, they’re used to empower comrades.”

What’s at stake for Manamela

Manamela, who took over the higher education ministry in July following Nkabane’s resignation, is under pressure to prove that he’s different. But by choosing appointees with chequered pasts, he’s reignited the debate about whether the ANC is serious about fixing the country’s failing education and training systems.

Public reaction has been divided. While some argue that the minister deserves time to prove his strategy, others see this as yet another example of cadre deployment undermining service delivery.

As one political analyst put it: “Setas already suffer from a credibility crisis. If the new minister doubles down on questionable appointments, it could be the final nail in the coffin.”

The bigger question: Do Setas still work?

Even if the appointments were squeaky clean, South Africans are asking a harder question: Do Setas justify the billions they cost the taxpayer? With unemployment at record highs, many feel the system has failed to deliver meaningful skills training or job placement.

The Bureau for Economic Research suggests that the country may need to rethink Setas altogether, moving toward a more streamlined approach focused on growth-linked skills.

For now, though, Buti Manamela finds himself caught between two fires: the urgent need to rescue dysfunctional Setas, and the growing chorus of voices accusing him of simply recycling the same old faces.

{Source: The Citizen}

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