Former Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has been found to have breached Parliament’s ethics code, with the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests recommending that she be formally reprimanded and ordered to apologise in the National Assembly.
The findings stem from an investigation into the appointment of Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) board chairpersons, where Nkabane was found to have failed in her duties and is alleged to have misled Parliament.
According to the committee, Nkabane “failed to exercise due care in the process of appointing the SETA Board Chairpersons” and allowed undue political influence over the process.
The complaint was initially lodged by Democratic Alliance MP Karabo Khakhau, prompting a wider probe that uncovered deeper governance failures within the ministry.
The committee found that Nkabane improperly delegated responsibility for the recruitment process to her advisor, Asisipho Solani, and failed to provide oversight.
“The former Minister had left the recruitment and selection panel for the appointment to her advisor and did not follow up with him on whether the panel was appointed,” the committee said.
In its conclusion, the committee ruled that Nkabane breached key provisions of the Code of Ethical Conduct, stating she “failed to act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in her” and “failed to maintain public confidence and trust in the integrity of Parliament.”
The report further noted that Nkabane sought to attribute responsibility to her advisor but ultimately accepted the findings against her.
Parliament’s ethics committee has now recommended a two-part sanction: “a reprimand in the House” and that she “enters an apology in the House for allowing her advisor to exercise control over the appointment of the SETA Board Chairpersons.”
The committee emphasised that the conduct undermined institutional integrity, saying Nkabane’s actions “engender[ed] respect and confidence that society needs to have in Parliament as a representative institution.”
While the committee stopped short of imposing harsher penalties, it took into account that President Cyril Ramaphosa had already dismissed Nkabane from her Cabinet post.
“The Joint Committee remains steadfast in its quest to ensure accountability of all Members of Parliament, as demanded by the code.”
The full report is expected to be tabled in Parliament’s Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC), where the National Assembly will consider and adopt the recommended sanctions.
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