By Johnathan Paoli and Amy Musgrave
The Economic Freedom Fighters has taken issue with the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training chairperson Tebogo Letsie for his “unparliamentary and unconstitutional conduct” during a heated altercation during a meeting.
According to the EFF, a confrontation erupted when one of its MPs, Sihle Lonzi, raised a question regarding recent appointments to the boards of Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
Lonzi reportedly asked the Higher Education director-general Nkosinathi Sishi whether he was aware of controversial selections, particularly the appointment of Buyambo Mantashe, son of ANC chairperson and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, as the chairperson of the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA.
“This undemocratic act was not only unparliamentary in nature, but a violent suppression of accountability and a direct attack on the political rights of Members of Parliament to exercise oversight over the executive,” the EFF’s statement read.
The EFF claimed Lonzi’s question, which was framed as a challenge to political nepotism and cadre deployment, was abruptly shut down by Letsie, who allegedly disrupted proceedings and called in parliamentary security to forcibly remove Lonzi from the session.
The party accused Letsie of acting in defence of ANC interests rather than in service of parliamentary integrity.
“Instead of upholding the integrity of Parliament, chairperson Letsie acted as a shield for corruption, using his position not to ensure accountability, but to protect ANC leaders from scrutiny,” the party said.
The question posed by Lonzi was related to a series of board appointments that the EFF and the Democratic Alliance say reflect systemic political patronage within the department.
Alongside Buyambo Mantashe, the EFF highlighted the appointments of Nomusa Dube-Ncube, the former premier of KwaZulu-Natal, as Chairperson of Banking SETA, and Siboniso Mbhele, the current HOD of the KwaZulu-Natal transport department to the Transport Education Training Authority board.
The party argues that institutions intended to serve young people and workers are being converted into “ANC deployment zones”.
It emphasised that Lonzi’s removal was not only an infringement on his rights but amounted to an assault on South Africa’s democratic principles.
The EFF demanded an immediate investigation into Letsie’s conduct and a full parliamentary inquiry into the SETA board appointments.
In reaction, the ANC study group on higher education said that while it planned to summon Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane to address the issue, it accused Lonzi of being on a “wild goose chase”.
“For reasons known by Honourable Lonzi and the EFF, there’s a well-coordinated plan to attack the chairperson of the portfolio committee, but unfortunately it will never see the light of day,” the group’s whip, Tshepo Louw, said in a statement.
He did not elaborate on the plan, however, Lonzi and the University of Limpopo have been at a war of words over Lotise questioning the competency of the institution’s management.
The university has reportedly threatened to sue him over what it has termed defamatory remarks.
Louw said Lonzi arrived late for the committee meeting and wanted to raise issues that were not part of the agenda. Also, the meeting had already started.
MPs were discussing a forensic report into the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) and related governance matters.
“The issue regarding the appointment of SETA’s board members was discussed extensively by the committee and the committee resolved to meet the minister next week to receive a comprehensive report on the appointment of members of SETAs boards.
“Honourable Lonzi in his misplaced pseudo effervescent style came late to the meeting, deviating from the adopted agenda and when called to order by the chairperson, unsurprisingly, he played the victim card,” Louw said.
He said the EFF had anticipated that the meeting would degenerate into chaos as anticipated by the EFF.
Rather, punctuality and discipline should guide the committee in any form of engagement to genuinely fulfill its oversight, Louw said.
The committee collectively agreed to summon Nkabane.
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