Embattled higher education minister Nobuhle Nkabane has annoyed the parliamentary committee on higher education by snubbing its scheduled meeting to attend the annual national student leadership induction programme at the Buffalo City TVET college.
Nkabane is facing the chop after being accused of lying to parliament about the appointment of the controversial panel to appoint SETA boards.
Sunday Times has previously reported President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC's top officials had resolved she had compromised the party and her position in the cabinet.
Nkabane was expected to appear at the committee after some panellists denied participating in appointing the controversial list of SETA board chairs.
Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie said he received a letter from Nkabane on Tuesday in which she said she would not attend the meeting.
She said she would attend a cabinet committee meeting on progress made to resolve National Student Financial Aid Scheme challenges and later fly to the Eastern Cape to attend a gender-based violence (GBV) awareness campaign.
“Allow me to tender my apology to you and the entire committee in this regard,” Nkabane wrote.
Letsie said he responded on the same day, making clear her apology was not accepted. He told her the meeting of the committee was a priority.
“The constitution mandates that members of the cabinet are accountable, collectively and individually, to parliament for their actions. Your presence in the meeting on Friday is critical for the committee to fulfil its constitutional oversight mandate.
“I request that you kindly reconsider your decision not to attend the meeting on July 18 based on the matters raised above. It is not my intention to seek alternative means within the legislative framework to compel you to come to the meeting,” Letsie wrote to Nkabane.
He said she wrote back on Thursday requesting that he reconsider his decision. She claimed she was required to attend a stakeholder engagement focused on GBV prevention and awareness and leadership capacity development within the higher education and training sector.
“The GBV engagement involving student leaders, institutions, civil society organisations and the department addresses one of the most serious and systemic challenges affecting our post-schooling institutions, specially young women.
“The minister made the prevention of GBV a strategic and moral priority within the post-school education and training sector, consistent with government's broader commitment. I acknowledge and do not diminish the importance of the committee's follow-up deliberations concerning the appointment process of SETA accounting authority chairpersons. I remain ready to appear to clarify and fully account on the matter,” she said when requesting an alternative date for the committee sitting.
Nkabane said her request was made in good faith and not as an act of avoidance. She said should the committee feel compelled to explore the use of other mechanisms, such as a subpoena, she requested that it note the public expenditure committed towards the GBV programme would be rendered wasteful.
“An outcome I believe we all seek to avoid,” she said.
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