‘Only Ramaphosa can fire me!’ – Defiant Nkabane shrugs off growing calls to quit

Nkabane

Cape Town – Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has responded to growing calls for her removal by stating that only President Cyril Ramaphosa has the authority to appoint or redeploy her, and therefore she has “nothing much to say” on the matter.

According to The Citizen, she dismissed the public outcry from groups like Sasco, EFF, and the DA, saying that while they raised their concerns through media briefings, they had not formally approached her or the department through official channels.

Nkabane emphasised that the department operates with an open-door policy and a stakeholder engagement framework, encouraging critics to raise issues through the proper government protocols.

“Basically, there’s nothing that I can say because it is the prerogative of the president to appoint and redeploy, so I cannot say anything. However, what I believe in is that we have an open-door policy as the department, and we do have a stakeholder engagement framework where we engage our stakeholders from time to time if there are any concerns,” the report quoted Nkabane as saying.

“I’m still waiting for them to come and raise their concerns within the frameworks and the protocols of government because they did not come to me to raise those issues. I saw some of their concerns that they were raising yesterday through their media briefings.”

Over the weekend, Sasco demanded the immediate dismissal of the minister, accusing her of incompetence and poor leadership.

Speaking at a press briefing over the weekend, Sasco president Alungile Amtshe cited failures in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), chronic underfunding of institutions serving the working class, and the controversial, allegedly corrupt appointment of the Seta board.

“The crisis facing students today is not incidental. It is the direct result of poor governance by the Department of Higher Education and Training and the opportunistic, malicious, and poor bourgeoisie agenda by the university and college management.

“It is our contention that DHAT, led by Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, within the government of national unity, has consistently failed to deliver on its most basic responsibilities, from the catastrophic delays in NSFAS first disbursements to the flawed appointment of the boards of strategic entities meant to accelerate access to training and higher education,” Amtshe said.

The minister said she welcomes criticism as it contributes to growth and learning.

Despite the controversy, she affirmed that the department is fully prepared to table its budget vote in Parliament, brushing off the DA’s decision to boycott it as their democratic right.

Nkabane maintained that the department is “not shaken” by the allegations or political pressure.

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