By Thapelo Molefe
Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has insisted that the appointment process of chairpersons of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) was “beyond reproach”.
Addressing the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education on Friday, Nkabane firmly defended the integrity of the process.
“There is nothing illegal about it. There are no flaws. There is no breach of any legislative imperative. Everything was followed, and the process was beyond reproach,” she said.
The minister said the appointments that were withdrawn earlier in May had been made based on merit, guided by legislation and informed by the Skills Development Act, the Bill of Rights and recommendations from the National Skills Authority (NSA).
She reiterated that said the decision to reverse the appointments of politically connected individuals was not due to any wrongdoing in the process, but rather in response to a public outcry.
“I understand I’m here, voted in this Parliament by the people of this country. I have a responsibility to listen to them,” Nkabane said.
“After seeing those trends on social media, I took it upon myself as a responsible citizen to say, let me listen.”
However, committee members challenged this position. They questioned how the minister could describe the process as flawless while simultaneously withdrawing the appointments.
“The meaning of ‘beyond reproach’, my interpretation is quite different, because you never, in your withdrawal, defended the process itself,” one member said.
“What you are saying to us [now] is that the process was followed… why are you making that comment now?”
In response, Nkabane said: “If you read the statement, there was no way I said that the process was flawed. I even indicated how many people had PhDs, how many had masters. But it was based on human grounds, responding to the outcry of our citizens.”
Throughout the exchange, several MPs expressed unease with the contradiction between the minister’s assertions and her actions.
They pushed for clarity on why a process that she claimed was legally and procedurally sound could nonetheless result in such a sweeping reversal. Despite the criticism, Nkabane maintained her stance.
“The panel recommended highly qualified candidates, and I was happy to see and to share with the portfolio committee their profiles. There is nothing wrong with those appointments,” she said.
“They were withdrawn only in response to public concern, not because of any procedural flaw.”
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