Parly committee concerned about being misled by Nkabane on SETA board selection panel

CAPE TOWN - The portfolio committee on higher education has expressed concern that it was misled by Minister Nobuhle Nkabane about the composition of the panel responsible for selecting Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) board members.

The committee now wants Nkabane to account before the committee and give further details about the panel that recommended the appointments of politically connected chairpersons of the SETA boards.

The committee took the decision on Wednesday after Nkabane finally released the names of the panel she claimed was independent, despite including senior officials from her department.

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Committee members said the panel members listed in a letter by the minister did not reflect the independence she initially claimed at the last meeting.

Committee chairperson, Tebogo Letsie, said this raised serious questions about the transparency and integrity of the appointment process.

He said committee members believed they were misled by previous representations and would seek advice on how to deal with Nkabane.

"There’s a process that must be followed. We must engage with legal on the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliaments and Provincial Legislatures Act where people mislead or lie to Parliament. There’s a process that must be followed."

Letsie said the committee was also alarmed by the revelation in the minister’s letter that the purported chairperson of the panel did not attend any of its meetings, which raised further questions about who chaired the meeting and oversaw the selection of candidates for SETA boards.