Under fire Nkabane grilled by MPs over withdrawn SETA board appointments

HIGHER Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane was grilled over the now-withdrawn appointments of chairpersons for the boards of the Sector and Education Training Authorities (SETAS).

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

The questioning came as the Standing Committee on Public Accounts had given MPs a set time to engage in question-and-answer engagements.

So intense was the grilling that tempers flared with Nkabane showing irritation and at one point retorting that she was not in a court.

MPS criticised Nkabane and SETA's chief director for coordination, Mabuza Ngubane, for glossing over the appointment process, emphasising the criteria that was followed.

Nkabane was forced to restart the appointment process following a public outcry over the appointment of ANC members and Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe’s son, Buyambo Mantashe, to SETA boards. When questioned, Nkabane stated that she has asked the panel to ensure that the new list of recommended candidates was not bloated with politically connected individuals.