“To err is human. To blame someone else is politics.”
That quote by former US vice-president Hubert Humphrey resonated loudly when embattled higher education minister Nobuhle Nkabane addressed her critics on Tuesday in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Nkabane made no mention of the furore over her allegedly defying or lying to parliament about the appointment of a so-called “independent” advisory panel to select suitable heads to the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas). Nkabane's list of names included the likes of mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe’s son, Buyambo.
A leaked list of the names unleashed a public storm that saw Nkabane try to evade probing questions in parliament over the past few weeks about the Seta candidates and their “independent” selection panel. But instead of playing open cards, the minister initially arrogantly avoided answering questions. She was eventually forced to withdraw the list.
As the questioning intensified, efforts to evade accountability were akin to digging an inescapable hole, which embarrassingly saw the minister having to apologise to advocate Terry Motau for claiming, falsely, that he had chaired the independent panel.
You know, when you are against transformation, it irritates a lot when you see such a young woman leading such a huge ministry in your presence. It's misogyny. I know where it is coming from, and worse, when it is a black woman.
— Nobuhle Nkabane, higher education minister
Opposition party MPs and student organisations have called for the minister's head, correctly citing what appeared to be an absolute lack of accountability and transparency. Nkabane also faces a criminal complaint lodged by the DA for allegedly misleading parliament, parliament's ethics committee and an investigation into the debacle by the public protector.
“The epitome of arrogance and disdain for the public” is how the minister's conduct was described recently in an opinion piece by the Sunday Times. Has anything changed?
Faced with calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire her during Tuesday's budget vote, Nkabane dodged the Seta controversy and portrayed herself as a victim of misogyny, racism and anti-transformation.
She accused those rejecting the budget in the NCOP of “rejecting the transformation of the post-school education and training sector in South Africa”. Indeed, opposition parties were stalling the budget for political motives, including to hold the minister accountable.
“They are not rejecting the budget of Nobuhle Nkabane. This is not the budget of Nobuhle Nkabane, it's the budget of the people of South Africa. You know, when you are against transformation, it irritates a lot when you see such a young woman leading such a huge ministry in your presence. It's misogyny. I know where it is coming from, and worse, when it is a black woman,” she told her detractors.
What are we to make of this latest chapter in a saga that has dragged on for weeks? Will the president act? Or will the status quo remain?
The next chapter will play out in the National Assembly, which may or may not pass her department's budget vote on Thursday.
We hope cool heads prevail. We also hope Ramaphosa remembers that he sets the tone and texture of his leadership. Through his actions and omissions, he communicates how low the bar for leadership is set in our politics. Nkabane is a sad joke on accountability. But we have Ramaphosa to thank for her. She must be held accountable for her actions, omissions and lies.
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