SETA Appointments Scandal: Parliament Turns Up the Heat on Higher Education Department

As the smoke clears after Ramaphosa’s cabinet shake-up, the real work begins: cleaning up the mess left behind by Dr Nobuhle Nkabane.

The Department of Higher Education and Training is under intense scrutiny as it prepares to face the Portfolio Committee over what critics are calling a sham of an appointment process for the boards of Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). The fallout has already claimed a high-profile casualty: former minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, who was shown the door by President Cyril Ramaphosa just a day before the hearing.

A reshuffle steeped in controversy

Ramaphosa’s decision to replace Nkabane with her deputy, Buti Manamela, and name Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the new deputy minister wasn’t just political housekeeping, it was damage control. The outgoing minister stands accused of stacking the influential SETA boards with ANC-aligned individuals, including Buyambo Mantashe, son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, and Dube-Ncube herself.

What was meant to be an “independent panel” overseeing these appointments has turned out to be anything but.

Ghost panel, ghost minister

In a bizarre twist, Advocate Terry Motau, the supposed chair of the independent selection panel, publicly denied ever being involved. Adding to the chaos, two other members of the so-called panel, Nkabane’s chief of staff Nelisiwe Semane and adviser Asisipho Solani were no-shows at the last parliamentary meeting.

So too were senior department officials, including Deputy Director-General Rhulani Ngwenya and Director-General Nkosinathi Sishi. The pattern of no-shows and denials has only fueled suspicions that the selection process was politically rigged from the start.

Parliament unimpressed

Nkabane’s attempts to dodge accountability didn’t sit well with committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie. When she skipped a critical meeting last week, citing a gender-based violence event at a TVET college in the Eastern Cape, her excuse was swiftly rejected.

“I told her I’m not accepting her apology,” Letsie said bluntly, calling her no-show “nonsensical” given the gravity of the matter.

The stakes are high. SETAs are a vital cog in South Africa’s skills development machinery, responsible for training in everything from construction to IT. Politically influenced board appointments risk turning these institutions into party patronage playgrounds something the public can ill afford amid a youth unemployment crisis.

Political fallout and public anger

Opposition parties are unanimous in their condemnation. The DA, MK Party, FF Plus, Rise Mzansi, and ActionSA all welcomed Nkabane’s removal, calling it “long overdue.” Their main gripe? A minister who ran from accountability and undermined the very principles of fairness and transparency she was meant to uphold.

Social media has also lit up with reactions. On X (formerly Twitter), hashtags like #SETAgate and #NkabaneMustGo trended, with users blasting the apparent nepotism. “This is why young people can’t find jobs,” one user wrote. “The boards meant to train them are being handed out like party favours.”

Can Buti Manamela clean house?

As the department faces Parliament once again, this time under new leadership, South Africans are watching closely. Will Manamela steer the ship back to integrity, or will the SETA saga become another chapter in the long book of government scandals?

For now, the spotlight is on Parliament and it’s getting hotter by the minute.

{Source: IOL}

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