Fomer minister of higher education Nobuhle Nkabane. (@Dr_NohbuleN/X)
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s removal of Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane from his cabinet has cleared the way for the passage of the 2025-26 Appropriation Bill, which the Democratic Alliance (DA) had vowed not to support if she remained in the position.
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 the long-time higher education deputy minister, Buti Manamela.
After failed negotiations with small parties, including ActionSA, to back departmental budgets, Ramaphosa’s ANC had to go back to its biggest partner in the government of national unity (GNU), the DA, to support the budgets or risk derailing the whole budget process.
The DA, which had withheld its support for the budget in protest over corruption-accused ministers such as Nkabane and Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane staying in their posts, confirmed on Tuesday that it would now vote in favour of the Bill on Wednesday.
“The Democratic Alliance will support the 2024-25 Appropriation Bill following the president’s decision to dismiss Minister Nkabane after sustained DA pressure. This decision is the crucial first step in holding compromised ministers accountable,” party leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement.
“We had earlier announced our intention to withhold support for the budgets of ministers implicated in wrongdoing unless dismissals occurred, and we also laid fraud charges against Minister Nkabane … These were not symbolic actions, they were principled stands backed by real consequence, and we will see these actions through to its conclusion.”
The DA was particularly angry after Ramaphosa dismissed its deputy trade and industry minister, Andrew Whitfield, for travelling to the United States without permission, in what the president said was a contravention of cabinet protocols. The DA accused Ramaphosa of double standards, arguing that there had to be uniformity in how executive misconduct was handled.
It said Whitfield’s dismissal could not be justified while Nkabane, accused of lying to parliament and shifting blame onto senior officials, remained in office, and that it would continue to put pressure on the president to remove compromised leaders from cabinet.
“There are still individuals in the executive facing serious allegations. If the president is serious about restoring public trust, he must act decisively and consistently, not only when under pressure,” Steenhuisen said on Tuesday.
The DA’s position had the leading party in the coalition government scrambling over the weekend to secure enough votes to pass the Appropriation Bill.
On Sunday, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula told journalists that GNU partners would hold talks to resolve tensions and ensure the passage of the budget.
“The engagement will be one with political parties … in terms of making sure that we pass the Appropriation and get the budget across,” he said.
But by that point, the DA had made clear that no amount of dialogue would sway its stance without action on errant ministers.
On Tuesday Steenhuisen said the ANC — which had to form the unity government after losing its parliamentary majority in last year’s general elections — must accept “that it no longer governs alone”.
“In a coalition, meaningful consultation with partners is not optional. It is essential to rebuild public confidence and ensure accountable governance. We will continue to engage the GNU parties in good faith to stop corruption and drive delivery in government,” he said.
“While long overdue, the removal of Minister Nkabane confirms that pressure from the DA within the government of national unity is yielding results … The DA will not allow compromised individuals in the executive to paralyse government or harm the people of this country.
“We will use every tool at our disposal in parliament and in government to protect public money, defend the Constitution, and ensure that ethical, accountable leadership becomes the norm, and that this dismissal is not the exception.”
This suggests the DA will continue pressing for the dismissal of Simelane — who was implicated in the looting of the now collapsed VBS Mutual Bank — and that of suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu if ongoing investigations confirm that he is guilty of political interference in the work of the police as alleged by KwaZulu-Natal commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Mchunu says he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
The call for Mchunu’s head was echoed by uMkhonto weSizwe party’s chief whip, Colleen Maluleke, who accused Ramaphosa during a media briefing on Tuesday of being hypocritical by firing Nkabane while only suspending the police minister.
Meanwhile, ActionSA, which is not in the GNU, confirmed that it had been approached by the ANC to back the budget.
Chairperson Michael Beaumont criticised what he called the ANC’s inconsistent approach to coalition governance, saying its failure to adequately work with ActionSA showed it did not consider the party a potential partner.
He said ActionSA had taken a position based on fiscal responsibility and would not be pressured into supporting a budget that did not meet its conditions. “We’re only going to support Bills that make sense, not because we are pressured into it. As it stands, there is no agreement between us,” he said.
Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane, who chairs parliament’s appropriations committee, confirmed there had been no formal discussions with his party, but said he would support the budgets for the sake of citizens.
He said the priority was to ensure that the budget was passed while continuing to advocate for long-term reform.
“South Africa needs urgent reforms. But in the meantime, we have to pass this budget to keep departments running,” Maimame said.
Wednesday’s Appropriation Bill vote follows the earlier passing of the Division of Revenue Bill, which sets out how funds are shared between national, provincial and local governments. The Appropriation Bill allocates specific amounts to each department.
Legal advice received by Maimane’s committee last month indicated that if even one departmental vote fails, the entire Appropriation Bill process cannot proceed. This created urgency in the ANC to ensure majority support.