DA plans to lay a criminal complaint against Higher Education Minister Nkabane

CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) plans to up the ante against Higher Education Minister, Nobuhle Nkabane, on Tuesday by laying a criminal complaint against her.

The party’s federal chairperson, Helen Zille, is set to lead a Parliamentary delegation to the Cape Town police station to press charges against Nkabane for lying to Parliament.

Nkabane came under fire in May for the disdain shown towards a portfolio committee over the appointment of boards for Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA).

On Monday, the South African Students’ Federation also called for her to step down, accusing her of incompetence and of having brought the department into disrepute.

The DA has already laid a complaint against the Minister with Parliament’s Ethics committee after she backtracked on information provided to the Higher Education committee regarding an advisory panel for appointments to the SETA boards.

Last week, the chairperson of that committee, Tebogo Letsie, defended Nkabane at a parliamentary media briefing, saying it was too early to determine whether she lied.

The chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Makhi Feni, meanwhile, said complaints to Parliament’s Ethics Committee were premature.

The DA wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire her, and said if he doesn’t act against corruption within his party, then it will use all the means at its disposal to fight it.

The party has accused Ramaphosa of hypocrisy and double standards for firing DA member of Parliament (MP) Andrew Whitfield for unsanctioned travel to Washington on party business, while asking Nkabane to present him with a report to explain the debacle over the SETA appointments.

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