EFF CONDEMNS BLADE NZIMANDE'S DISREGARD FOR HIGHER EDUCATION CRISIS AND PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT

Thursday, 18 March 2021

The EFF condemns Blade Nzimande's callous and complete disregard for the Portfolio Committee of Higher Education and the general crisis confronting the sector, which was displayed by his untimely exit from a parliamentary meeting to which he and his department are meant to give answers.

In a portfolio committee constituted by multiple stakeholders in the tertiary sector, Nzimande gave an empty and palpably inaccurate assessment of issues plaguing the sector, and then proceeded to arrogantly leave the meeting, citing the importance of another unidentifiable engagement.

Having left assuring the committee that responses and engagement on behalf of the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Department will be given by his Deputy Buti Manamela, Manamela also left. This further cemented our long held view on the uselessness of Deputy Ministers, as Manamela left the meeting citing attending to the work of the shell of a task team which has done no verifiable work in alleviating the student crisis facing South Africa.

The actions of these two self-proclaimed "communists" affirms our view that the higher education sector is led by individuals who have no appetite or vision to lead the department. They have shown complete disrespect to the parliamentary process of oversight and to all stakeholders who may have been desperate for a way forward from the political leadership in higher education.

The most noble thing the pair can do is resign, rather than subject the sector to empty sermons and evade accountability in the way they displayed in the parliamentary committee.

The EFF encourages all students to continue to intensify their struggle for free education, as there is no direction that Blade Nzimande or Buti Manamela can provide outside of self-seeking speeches, that they are too cowardly to have interrogated by a process of oversight.

Statement issued by EFF, 18 March 2021