News24 | Ramaphosa ‘regularly in touch’ with Manamela amid governance issues in higher education dept

Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela, with whom President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is regularly in touch.

Storm Simpson/News24

• The Auditor-General found that 15 out of 21 SETA boards were appointed irregularly, with incomplete vetting, unverified qualifications, missing declarations of interest and no fair nomination or elimination process.
• President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “regularly in touch” with Manamela, but his spokesperson dismissed media commentary, calling the issues administrative matters for government structures.
• Ramaphosa previously expressed concern over a court ruling on the minister’s appointment of NSFAS administrator Hlengani Mathebula.

Following damning findings from an Auditor-General (AG) report that found Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela irregularly appointed 15 Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) boards, President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is “regularly in touch with” the minister.

The AG found widespread governance irregularities and a failure of due process in the appointment of board members and chairpersons across 15 of the 21 SETAs.

The appointment of the SETA boards falls within Manamela’s remit.

The Sunday Times reported that the AG found that the appointment process was irregular and non-compliant with the Skills Development Act.

Mandatory vetting was not completed for many appointees, with criminal-record checks either outdated, missing, or conducted only after appointment.

In one case, an appointed board member had a criminal record, with no documented evidence that it was considered. Qualifications of several appointees were not verified, and at nine SETAs, multiple members held qualifications below the required NQF level 7.

READ | Crisis at SETAs ‘accumulating for years, irregularities have become norm’, Manamela to MPs

Declarations of interest were missing for some members or were signed after the required submission dates. Several SETAs failed to make public calls for nominations or submit lists of recommended nominees, and where more candidates qualified than positions were available, there was no documented or fair elimination process.

The AG concluded these contraventions created irregular expenditure risk and directed the department to assess and account for such expenditure.

This week, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told News24:

The president is regularly in touch with the minister on all pertinent matters. However, these issues will not be managed through running commentary in the media. These are administrative issues that must be resolved within the appropriate government structures.

On Friday, News24 asked Manamela’s spokesperson, Matshepo Seedat, if there would be changes at SETAs after the AG’s report, as well as at NSFAS.

Seedat referred queries to the Presidency.

Last month, Ramaphosa expressed concern following a Gauteng High Court ruling on Manamela’s decision to appoint NSFAS administrator Hlengani Mathebula.