Newly appointed Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela is facing strong backlash after announcing a fresh round of controversial appointments to the boards of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
The officials, some of whom face corruption allegations, have been appointed as administrators for three troubled SETAs: the Services Seta, Construction Seta (Ceta), and Local Government Seta (LGSETA). These entities have long been plagued by governance failures and financial mismanagement.
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Manamela defended the appointments, stating the administrators were mandated to “restore integrity, enforce consequence management and ensure that students and workers are not prejudiced.”
DA Slams Buti Manamela’s Appointments as “Unfit and Compromised”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) strongly rejected the move, saying the appointments undermine public trust. DA higher education portfolio committee member Karabo Khakhau said: “These appointees are unfit – implicated in corruption, mismanagement, fraud in previous government jobs – or have proved themselves useless in the Seta space already.”
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The DA has written to Manamela demanding the withdrawal of the appointments. Khakhau warned: “Will Minister Manamela fail his first test of ANC cadre deployment, or will he go down the same path as Nobuhle Nkabane? The facts against Manamela speak for themselves.”
Among the appointees is Oupa Nkoane, a former Emfuleni municipal manager implicated in the mismanagement of R872 million, and Lehlohonolo Masoga, a former Limpopo MEC accused of backdating a R4.4 million contract as CEO of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone.
Another appointee, Zukile Mvalo, currently serves as Deputy Director-General for Skills Development. The DA argues that under his oversight for the past eight years, Setas have remained unstable.
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The DA insists that independent professionals, not politically connected individuals, should be appointed to lead the turnaround of Setas.
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“Minister Manamela announced these appointments, saying they are to address serious and entrenched governance failures in these entities, including procurement irregularities, lapses in oversight, and board instability. How on earth can this be addressed by corruption, fraud, mismanagement implicated ANC cadres?” asked Khakhau.
The DA has called for “independent non-political persons free of corruption implications” to restore accountability and stability to the Seta system.
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The Department of Higher Education has been approached for comment and its response will be published once received.
Manamela took office in July after former minister Nobuhle Nkabane resigned amid her own scandal over Seta board appointments. Nkabane was accused of lying to parliament and stacking the boards with ANC loyalists, a process that was later overturned following opposition complaints.
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