Fomer minister of higher education Nobuhle Nkabane. (@Dr_NohbuleN/X)
Opposition parties have welcomed the dismissal of Nobuhle Nkabane as higher education minister, describing the move as a necessary intervention to restore accountability in the department after weeks of public and parliamentary pressure over alleged political interference in public appointments.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office announced on Monday that he had replaced Nkabane — who has been under fire for allegedly lying about the process of Sector Education and Training Authorities (Seta) board chairs — with her deputy, Buti Manamela.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has removed Dr Nobuhle Nkabane from the role of minister and higher education and training and has, in terms of section 91 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, appointed Mr Buti Kgwaridi Manamela minister of higher education and training,” the presidency said in a statement.
Nkabane’s axing comes two days before parliament is due to vote on the national budget, including allocations for the department of higher education, which the Democratic Alliance (DA) had vowed to oppose as it pushed for Ramaphosa to dismiss her.
The DA said her removal was a “stunning blow against ANC cadre corruption” and signalled it would now support the higher education department’s budget vote.
“Seeing one ANC minister depart cabinet under storming clouds of lies, deceit, cadre deployment corruption and a Hawks investigation is a first step to restoring our faith that the GNU will not tolerate corruption,” DA spokesperson Karabo Khakhau said.
“Our demand to President Ramaphosa was for him to take action against the seriously compromised, corrupt and nefarious in the ANC, and the firing of Nkabane is the first step for him.”
The DA had submitted evidence to parliament showing that Nkabane had issued letters terminating the contracts of board members at 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities and appointed people allegedly aligned to the ANC, including the son of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.
The party accused Nkabane of undermining governance processes and misrepresenting facts to parliament.
The Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP’s) higher education portfolio committee member, Sanele Zondo, said Nkabane had brought the axe upon herself because of her arrogance and her disregard for parliamentary processes.
“She was supposed to be disciplined. She was expected to know what to do, when to do it, and how to respond appropriately to a proper commitment. But when we asked her about the processes and procedures, she refused to cooperate,” Zondo said.
“She was arrogant and unwilling to respond publicly, even though this is a matter of public interest, she brought the axe to her head and as the IFP we welcome this decision by the president. She had been invited to explain serious governance irregularities but chose not to appear. That shows contempt for parliament’s oversight role. We believe her removal is justified and overdue.”
Last week Nkabane failed to attend a scheduled meeting of the portfolio committee, where she was expected to respond to MPs’ questions about the Seta board dismissals.
Her absence prompted frustration across party lines, including from ANC committee members, with the chairperson, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, confirming that the minister had failed to offer adequate reasons for her non-attendance.
“The committee is gravely concerned about the minister’s failure to engage with the committee on matters of public interest and governance. Her absence has obstructed the committee’s ability to exercise its oversight duties,” Mkhatshwa said during the meeting.
ActionSA MP Malebo Kobe and the party’s head of students, Thabo Malosi, also welcomed Nkabane’s firing, calling her tenure a failure marked by neglect, a huge housing backlog for tertiary students, the dysfunction of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and mismanagement of Setas.
They criticised the appointment of Manamela as a missed chance for real change and urged bold reforms such as merging South Africa’s education departments, expanding NSFAS, converting illegally occupied city buildings into student housing and replacing Setas with an “opportunity” fund.
Ramaphosa’s decision to remove Nkabane comes at a politically sensitive time, with the government of national unity facing another major hurdle in parliament — the Appropriation Bill vote, which requires majority support for it to pass.
The Appropriation Bill, which authorises government spending, cannot be passed unless the National Assembly approves all 42 departmental allocations (“votes”) listed in schedule 1 of the Bill, said senior parliamentary legal adviser Frank Stander Jenkins.
The DA, which had vowed not to vote for Nkabane’s departmental budget because of her conduct in parliament, threatened the Appropriation Bill’s process.
Should the Bill be rejected, the country could face another budget impasse similar to earlier this year, when the DA led opposition to the treasury’s attempts to increase VAT sparked last-minute budget changes and political stand-offs.
The fiscal framework only made it through the National Assembly in March after the ANC secured backing from ActionSA and other smaller opposition parties which are not part of the coalition government.
Following a legal challenge from the DA and the Economic Freedom Fighters, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in the end caved and scrapped the VAT increase.