An open letter from the DA:
Dear Mr. President,
The past weeks have revealed a series of lies to Parliament by Minister Nobuhle Nkabane.
She has used a strategy of lying to Parliament to try and cover up her tracks, after she made a brazen ANC cadre deployment appointment to the boards of the Sectoral Education and Training Authorities. South Africans were rightfully outraged about this.
Once exposed, and once public pressure mounted, Minister Nkabane made an effective admission to her infringements, by withdrawing the appointments.
Her ANC cadre deployment had been exposed, roundly criticised, and she had to admit defeat.
What followed was a series of lies. Her first lie to Parliament, to underplay her own involvement, was that an “independent panel” had chosen the successful ANC cadres – deflecting attention from her.
But the vague and evasive explanation demanded details, names and identities. Minister Nkabane was put on terms to come clean to Parliament and declare to the Portfolio Committee about who sat on this “independent panel” and in her reply, Minister Nkabane once again lied. For a second time, she lied to Parliament.
Minister Nkabane abused the name of a senior legal expert, Advocate Terry Motau, claiming that he chaired her “independent panel.” Adv. Motau exposed that Minister Nkabane was not telling the truth, and since then Nkabane has publicly declared that she was wrong about Motau.
The other panel members were absolutely not “independent” either – some are on the payroll of her Department, and two are even political appointments, including a Chief of Staff, in the office of the ANC Minister.
And worse, Minister Nkabane continues to hide the name of one member of the panel – what she has to hide with this one name is now of the highest suspicion.
Mr. President, you have a lying Minister in your Cabinet, who has been caught red-handed.
It is time for you to Fire Minister Nobuhle Nkabane with immediate effect, and to replace her with a Minister committed to making Higher Education work, not committed to making work for ANC insiders.
Yours in public service,
Karabo Khakhau, MP
DA Member on Portfolio Committee on Higher Education & Training