Under fire Seta appointments drawn flank under Buti Manamela

by Mathipa Phishego

The newly appointed Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela’s SETA board appointments drawn flank by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Democratic Alliance (DA). Two of the three Seta appointees are allegedly involved in corruption, and the other failed as a Deputy General-Director in the same department.

The Construction Seta (Ceta), Services Seta (Ssceta), and Local Government Seta (LGSeta) are cited lapsing procurement regularity. Oupa Nkabane was appointmented as Ceta Administrator, Lehlogonolo Masoga as Sseta, and LGSeta for Zukile Mvalo.

All these administrators were appointed by Manamela on August 19. InsideOutNews notes that some of these appointments, no different from Nobuhle Nkabane’s appointments of chairperson for the 21 Seta boards.

Even though the appointments raises eyebrows. Manamela stated that his appointment have a clear mandate to restore integrity. “The goal is to reposition Setas so they can can contribute in fighting against poverty, inequality, and unemployment,” said the minister.

Sihle Lonzi of the EFF and DA’s Karabo Khakhau stated that Manamela appointed the wrong people. Lonzi stated that this is just another ANC deployee being replaced by another corrupt ANC deployee.

“To continue the corruption and the kleptocracy of the ANC government in its attempt to capture our government entities and institutions,” he said.

Lonzi emphasized that Manamela did not listen to their council meeting. “Because instead of appointing new memebers with integrity. He appoints people to continue to capture, which has been happening in the setas,” stated Lonzi.

Khakhau raised that the issue they have with the three people that he has chosen to appoint. “Is that two of them are implicated in corruption … involving R872-million and … R4.4-million,” referring to Nkoane and Masoga.

She further stated that Mvalo has been in the Department of Higher Education for eight years. The seta boards have been reporting to him as he was, the Deputy Director-General of Skills Development in the department.

“He has no prospect of fixing anything suddenly now. He failed stabilising Setas eight years ago,” stated Khakhau.

Ceta administrator Nkoane was one of 12 officials named in a 2017/18 forensic report that revealed the loss of R872-million in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure at the Emfuleni Local Municipality. At the time, Nkoana was the acting municipal manager of the municipality.

Masoga allegedly incurred an unreasonable telephone bill amounting to R125,000 during an official trip to the US in August 2014. Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane recommended that Masogo pay back part of this bill.

For years, Setas has been plogued with irregular governance and corruption. The LGSeta was uncivered with systematic governance failures. Including procurement irregularities linked to a R2.3-billion tender process riddled with noncompliance by investigators.

“The committee has not been furnished with the full details of why each Seta had been placed under administration,” said Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Chairperson Tebogo Letsie stating that they will wait for the minister to give full report.