Johannesburg – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is taking Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela to court over his appointment of eight executives to various Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) boards last year.
In an application filed in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, the EFF is seeking to have the appointments declared unlawful and set aside, arguing they were procedurally unfair and irrational.
EFF MP Sihle Lonzi claims the newly constituted accounting authorities had less than 24 hours to review the CEOs’ five-year performance records before recommending their reappointments.
“The first respondent’s conduct is also procedurally unfair because the Accounting Authorities responsible for recommending the re-appointments were newly constituted, had no demonstrable knowledge of the performance histories of the incumbents, and were afforded less than 24 hours to convene, evaluate, and recommend extensions of five-year executive appointments for multiple Seta’s,” EFF MP Sihle Lonzi argues in his affidavit, according to The Citizen.
The EFF has taken Minister Buti Manamela to court over his irregular appointment of SETA CEOs.
In his SONA, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed to reform and restructure SETAs for the better.
This will never happen if processes are ignored and abused for friends and comrades! pic.twitter.com/gUYrpACD32
— Sihle Lonzi (@SihleLonzi) February 22, 2026
Manamela was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa after former minister Nobuhle Nkabane was removed amid allegations of corruption and irregular Seta board appointments.
The EFF is challenging the appointments of CEOs across several Setas, including those in the chemical, finance, manufacturing, insurance, mining, retail and food sectors.
The party argues the appointments violate the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act and the constitutional principle of legality.
While Manamela has defended the appointments as part of a drive to restore integrity and accountability, the DA has criticised them, claiming some appointees are linked to corruption or poor performance.
The controversy comes amid criticism that Setas cost the state about R20 billion annually while benefiting only a small portion of the workforce.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
