Manamela evades parly committee, much to the ire of Scopa chair Zibi, EFF

Parliament’s obstacles to holding the executive to account persist despite assurances from deputy president Paul Mashatile that the seventh administration will improve. 

On Tuesday, higher education and training deputy minister Buti Manamela became the latest to miss an oversight committee meeting, drawing sharp criticism. 

Manamela was scheduled to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) but instead opted to attend the launch of an academic programme in Johannesburg. His no show led to the meeting being cancelled due to “late and unjustifiable withdrawal”.

Scopa chairperson Songezo Zibi was not impressed. “The non-appearance of the deputy minister is unacceptable, the primary role of the committee and parliament is to hold the executive to account, and the committee is not prepared to entertain late, unjustifiable withdrawals by members of the executive,” he said.

Last week as he appeared before the national council of provinces, Mashatile urged MPs to do their oversight work without fear or favour, and hold the executive to account. 

Mashatile also promised to “encourage members of the executive to avail themselves when called to appear before parliamentary committees and fulfil their constitutional obligations in parliament”.

Scopa said the hearing would be rescheduled as the minister or deputy minister scheduled is expected to appear in person. 

Manamela and his team were expected to brief the committee on various matters relating to the National Skills Fund (NSF) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) and on investigations into the two entities conducted by the Special Investigations Unit.

Manamela’s no show also raised the ire of the EFF, who said his “refusal to be held accountable is not only a dereliction of duty but also a blatant disregard for the principles of transparency and good governance”. 

The party said in a statement: “It is unacceptable that the deputy minister, a public servant entrusted with the crucial responsibility of overseeing the higher education sector, chooses to evade accountability, especially on a matter as critical as the financial aid that supports our nation's youth.

“The mismanagement of Nsfas funds has had dire consequences on students and their families, with over 90,000 appeals still unresolved, leaving many young South Africans in a state of uncertainty about their educational futures.”

The EFF added that “the loss of over R5 billion from the NSF, which remains unaccounted for, is a shocking revelation” that demands immediate attention. “We will not rest until those responsible for the mismanagement of Nsfas and the NSF are brought to justice,” the party said. 

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