EFF questions legality of Manamela’s decision to appoint administrators to oversee SETA
Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela announced the appointment of the administrators to help turn around the Services SETA, Local Government SETA (LGSETA), and Construction SETA.
Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela during a media address in Pretoria on 12 August 2025. Picture: @HigherEduGovZA/X
CAPE TOWN - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has questioned the lawfulness of Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela’s decision to appoint administrators to oversee three Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
The party has written to Manamela asking him to explain the rationale of appointing the administrators even though there are ongoing board appointments at the country’s 22 SETAs.
Manamela announced the appointment of the administrators to help turn around the Services SETA, Local Government SETA (LGSETA), and Construction SETA.
EFF member of Parliament (MP) Sihle Lonzi was one of the first Higher Education Committee members to warn Manamela against the appointment of the three administrators to run the struggling SETAs.
The administrators are seen to be too close to the African National Congress (ANC) and the department over the years, with some implicated in wrongdoing.
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In his letter to Manamela, Lonzi said the concentration of executive authority in a single administrator, rather than a collective board, “poses significant risks to institutional integrity and effective oversight”.
Lonzi said it’s worth noting that the recent removal of Manamela’s predecessor followed serious concerns raised by Parliament and the public regarding transparency and procedural irregularities in the appointment of SETA board chairpersons.
“Political interference and the capture of setas through the appointment of ANC-aligned individuals and the children of senior politicians to key governance positions led to a material breakdown of trust and accountability,” writes Lonzi.
Lonzi said the processes for appointing new accounting authorities and board chairpersons were already underway when the decision to place the three setas under administration was made.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has also written to Manamela, urging him to reconsider his decision and reverse the appointments.