Nkabane’s SETA Scandal Blows Up as Motau Disowns Role

Pressure mounts as legal threats and ethics investigations loom

The storm clouds are gathering over Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane after a bombshell denial by Advocate Terry Motau exposed a potentially serious breach of parliamentary trust. In a letter now widely circulated on social media, Motau makes it clear: he never chaired or participated in the panel Nkabane claims selected board members for South Africa’s Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).

In fact, he didn’t even know he had been named until journalists contacted him.

‘I was never part of this process’ Motau

“I did not assist you or your office in reviewing and assessing the nominations received for the appointment of Accounting Authorities per Sector Education and Training Authorities,” Motau stated bluntly in the letter. He added that he had received no documentation, held no meetings, and made no recommendations. “Your intention to appoint me never materialised,” he added, seemingly baffled by the inclusion of his name.

The implications are serious. At best, Nkabane’s office made a clerical error. At worst, she misled Parliament an act that carries ethical and legal consequences.

Parliament reacts: Ethics complaint and legal threats

Democratic Alliance MP Karabo Khakhau wasted no time. “Affidavit signed and commissioned,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Nkabane must go and appear before the Ethics Committee for lying to Parliament and, by extension, the people of South Africa.”

ANC MP David Kgabo added his voice to the chorus of concern, describing the “independent panel” as little more than a puppet arm of the department’s director-general. Meanwhile, Parliament’s portfolio committee chair Tebogo Letsie confirmed legal avenues are being explored under the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act. “We will not be complicit in attempts to undermine parliamentary oversight,” Letsie said.

A pattern of obfuscation?

This isn’t Nkabane’s first brush with controversy. Just weeks ago, she came under fire for allegedly stuffing SETA boards with politically connected allies. Names like Buyambo Mantashe (son of Minerals Minister Gwede Mantashe), former KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, and ANC Joburg official Loyiso Masuku raised red flags across the aisle.

Even then, Nkabane hesitated to reveal the names of the selection panel members. When she finally did, the list included Motau—who now says that’s fiction.

Political patronage and public trust

What’s at stake here isn’t just another bureaucratic misstep. The SETAs play a crucial role in skilling South Africa’s youth and workforce. If board appointments are manipulated to serve political interests, it threatens the integrity of these institutions and the futures of thousands.

For many watching this unfold online, the scandal speaks to a broader crisis in public trust. “This is why we don’t believe a word from ministers anymore,” one user posted on Facebook. Others are calling for Nkabane’s immediate resignation, saying the issue goes beyond simple accountability—it’s about restoring faith in governance.

While the SETA selection process has since been scrapped, lawmakers say that’s not enough. With calls for legal action, ethics investigations and mounting public outrage, the Nkabane saga is far from over.

Her office has promised she’s ready to cooperate—but after Motau’s public rejection of her claims, that promise may no longer carry much weight.

If anything is clear, it’s this: transparency isn’t optional in a democracy. And Parliament, it seems, is ready to remind her.