‘Lies Have Short Legs’: Pressure Mounts on Minister Nkabane After Ditching Parliament

Seta board scandal intensifies as MPs accuse minister of dodging accountability

Tensions boiled over in Parliament on Friday as Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane failed to appear before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, again leaving MPs fuming over what they now call a pattern of avoidance and contempt.

At the heart of the storm is the now-retracted appointment of politically connected individuals to Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) boards, a process Nkabane has defended as impartial but which MPs argue is anything but.

‘We are not here to play games’

The mood in the Good Hope Chamber was electric. Ministers, advisors, and senior officials were expected to come clean about the advisory panel that recommended Seta board appointments, a panel chaired, according to Nkabane, by Advocate Terry Motau.

There was just one problem: Motau later denied ever chairing such a panel.

That contradiction lit the match. “Lies have short legs,” quipped Inkatha Freedom Party MP Sanele Zondo, echoing the disbelief of many in the room. “That’s why now we are here.”

Democratic Alliance MP Karabo Khakhau was even more blunt: “She’s avoiding us because she’s guilty. There’s no other reason.”

A keynote over accountability

Nkabane’s excuse for skipping the meeting? She was delivering a keynote speech at a student leadership induction programme in the Eastern Cape.

But with both her deputy ministers, Buti Manamela and Mimmy Gondwe, present at the parliamentary meeting, MPs questioned why the minister herself couldn’t have prioritized answering to Parliament.

“The event she attended could have been handled by a deputy,” Khakhau pointed out. “Two of them were sitting right here.”

The anger didn’t stop there. ANC MP Gaolatlhe Kgabo reminded the chamber that this wasn’t Nkabane’s first absence and accused both her and Higher Education Director-General Nkosinathi Sishi of treating Parliament with contempt.

Emails, medical notes and mixed signals

The no-shows didn’t end with Nkabane. Several department officials and panel members also failed to appear — including Nkabane’s chief of staff Nelisiwe Semane, who submitted a medical note. Others simply “blue-ticked” the committee without any formal apology.

Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie read out a letter from the DG’s office that inaccurately claimed the meeting was cancelled, a claim he labelled “disturbing.”

“This isn’t a WhatsApp group,” one MP quipped. “You can’t just ghost Parliament.”

Calls for subpoenas and consequences

Opposition MPs are now calling for a formal investigation, possible legal action, and the issuing of subpoenas. DA MP Désirée van der Walt urged the committee to compel all involved to appear on July 22.

Others demanded consequences. “This isn’t just poor communication,” said EFF MP Sihle Lonzi. “It’s sabotage.”

ANC MP Sedukanelo Louw closed the session by calling for Nkabane and Sishi’s conduct to be referred to Parliament’s Ethics Committee. “The public deserves answers,” he said. “And we’re not leaving this alone.”

Public trust on the line

The Seta boards are meant to drive skills development in a country battling high youth unemployment and education inequality. When appointments are allegedly handed to political insiders under questionable circumstances, it’s not just a scandal — it’s a betrayal of public trust.

Social media reaction has been swift and unforgiving. “How do you fix the education system when the top is this broken?” asked one user on X (formerly Twitter), with others tagging President Cyril Ramaphosa to demand Nkabane’s dismissal.

A crossroads for accountability

This isn’t just about a missed meeting or an angry committee. It’s about the integrity of public institutions in a country weary of political games and empty promises.

As Parliament gears up for the next round of hearings, all eyes are now on whether Nkabane will face the music or keep dodging it.

Because as the old saying goes, lies have short legs. But in South African politics, they seem to run marathons.

{Source: The Citizen}

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