In a dramatic escalation of the SETA board appointment scandal, members of Parliament have called for a criminal investigation into Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, accusing her of misleading Parliament and manipulating the selection process to benefit politically connected allies.

The portfolio committee has urged the committee leadership to formally complain in terms of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliaments and Provincial Legislatures Act.

The move could pave the way for unprecedented legal action against Nkabane over a controversial board appointment process riddled with allegations of cronyism and political interference.

At the heart of the storm is Nkabane’s refusal—until recently—to reveal the names of the five-member panel responsible for selecting new SETA board chairpersons.

Though she eventually disclosed most of the names under mounting pressure, MPs say she omitted a critical individual and accuse her of lying to Parliament about the panel’s independence.

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Karabo Khakhau has reported Nkabane to the Ethics Committee for allegedly misleading Parliament over the independent panel that recommended the chairpersons. 

“Affidavit signed and commissioned. Nkabane must appear before the Ethics Committee for lying to Parliament and, by extension, the people of RSA,” she said in a post on X. 

This is after Khakhau demanded full disclosure of the final names, accusing the minister of deliberately withholding it and misleading the committee.

ANC MP, David Kgabo, added fuel to the fire, describing the so-called independent panel as effectively an extension of the director-general’s office, raising serious questions about the integrity of the process.

Committee chairperson, Tebogo Letsie, confirmed that the committee would pursue legal avenues in line with parliamentary rules governing dishonesty before the legislature. “We will not be complicit in attempts to undermine parliamentary oversight,” he said.

On Tuesday, Letsie welcomed the submission of a letter containing the names of panel members appointed to oversee the selection and recommendation of board chairpersons for SETA. 

The panel members, as stated by the minister, are:

– Advocate Terry Motau (chair), though he did not attend the committee meetings.

– Asisipho Solani.

– Nelisiwe Semane.

– Mabuza Ngubane.

– Rhulani Ngwenya.

This controversy follows a heated backlash in May when Nkabane’s list of recommended appointees to the SETA boards included a series of politically connected figures—among them, Buyambo Mantashe, son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe; former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube; KwaZulu-Natal transport head Siboniso Mbhele; and ANC Johannesburg deputy regional secretary Loyiso Masuku.

Despite repeated requests, Nkabane initially refused to reveal who selected these appointees, deepening suspicions of political patronage and triggering calls for transparency and accountability.

The selection process has since been abandoned, but MPs insisted the damage to institutional credibility demands consequences.

As Parliament weighs its next move, the scandal has thrust issues of transparency, political interference, and ministerial accountability back into the national spotlight, raising the stakes not just for Nkabane but for the integrity of South Africa’s public institutions.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za 

IOL Politics

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