EFF STATEMENT ON BLADE NZIMANDE’S POSSIBLE ‘CORRUPTION’ ON THE SETAs AND OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION ENTITIES
The Economic Freedom Fighters notes reports that a Community Trust started by Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande is recipients of donations and funding allocations worth R11 million from Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). We condemn such levels of corruption because it cannot be legally permissible for a Minister to use Government money and resources to donate money to private Trusts and organisations. We also call on the necessary authorities to conduct forensic investigations of all the SETAs and Higher Education entities such as the National Students’ Financial Aid Scheme since Blade Nzimande was Minister of Higher Education.
The EFF makes these calls because since he became Minister, Blade Nzimande has used the Ministry and Department of Higher Education and all its entities as a playground for nepotistic appointments of individuals with no capacity to deliver education and skills to the people. This was reflected by the appointment of Gwebs Qonde, SACP Central Committee Member as the Director General of Higher Education Department despite lacking experience on higher education matters and without any form of traceable, commendable and relevant qualifications.
In NSFAS, Nzimande appointed Collette Caine, his personal financial advisor and SACP Fundraiser) as a controlling and interfering Board Member who brought NSFAS into financial crisis, and ZB Sogayise, SACP Member from Cape Metro as Chairperson, despite lack of understanding and experience of huge financial management of NSFAS. The Chief of Staff Nqaba Qandela has formal business relations with the wife of Blade Nzimande, and was appointed as administrator of the Local Government SETA, after its board was dissolved.
Nzimande has been using the Ministry of Higher Education and all its entities for redirection of funds meant to education and skills into benefactors of the South African Communist Party, close friends and family, and private Trusts and organisations. We call on authorities to pay closer attention to the ETDP SETA, because it is also being used as a benefactor of Blade Nzimande’s close family members. The ETDP SETA’s Chief Executive Officer is the wife of the SACP Deputy National Chairperson, Thulas Nxesi and its work has links to family members of Blade Nzimande.
The Economic Freedom Fighters will write to the Public Protector, Forensic Investigation Unit and National Prosecutions Authority to investigate the R11 million donation by SETAs to the Dambuza Community Trust, which is a private finance vehicle of Minister Blade Nzimande. We will also ask for a forensic investigation into NSFAS and who have been the beneficiaries of its contracts because the crisis there is caused by close friends of the Minister of Higher Education.
South Africa’s funds meant for provision of education are being redirected into Ministers’ pockets and such must fall. Blade Nzimande has dismally failed to come with a plan to finance free education for all, because he is obsessed with ways of milking the department and its entities of all the monies meant for development. The EFF will never sit back and watch when mediocre Ministers are stealing public money for personal benefits.
Issued by EFF National Spokesperson Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi, 9 November 2015
