Fixing Higher Education Rot: Tough Road Ahead for Buti Manamela

Edwin Naidu

Removing Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, just before National Women’s Month, was poor timing. Her predecessor, Dr Blade Nzimande, whose hapless legacy on tertiary education is unfolding horribly, was undeservedly in the role for more than 15 years. Nkabane was dealt a poor hand. 

One must question the bona fides of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to gender parity and combating corruption. However, many will agree that the former deputy to Gwede Mantashe at the Ministry of Minerals and Energy was out of her depth in the tertiary education portfolio. 

But thrusting her into the higher education cesspool without considering the extent of the challenges was unfair. She had no chance of success and was destined to fail.  

This emerged especially after her botched list of appointees for Sector Education and Training Authorities (Seta). Earmarked for one of the Seta chair roles was Gwede’s son, Buyambo Mantashe, resulting in controversy that led to the rescinding of all the appointments.

 When the row commenced, predictably, Ramaphosa did nothing. Ahead of National Women’s Month, Nkabane is gone, and the crucial Higher Education and Training portfolio has returned to a male. It is someone we know well, too. 

The question is, will the affable Buti Manamela, a well-liked and respected leader from the South African Communist Party, put South Africa first? Or will he stick with the faltering party to which he is not entirely beholden? Or will he be beholden to his friends? That’s some of the murmur doing the rounds. 

Manamela has been Deputy Minister since 2014, so he understands the changing ANC and higher education landscape better than most. He performs well, to the extent that his former boss, Nzimande, once criticised him for gaining more publicity. To his credit, Manamela stayed silent and continued with his work. 

One feels that Ramaphosa erred in not giving the Young Communist League and the African National Congress leader the job last year. At least he managed to rectify one error. 

Much depends on the broad shoulders of Manamela. He has a wide smile and oozes confidence. But what South Africa needs is for Manamela to break ranks with the ANC to ensure that the country gets a quality tertiary system.

 The higher education system continues to survive, but it is broken. Universities face a variety of challenges, including funding and governance. Setas are in a mess. The National Skills Fund has not delivered on its mandate. 

Ironically, despite the negative publicity, Nkabane managed to strengthen the National Student Financial Aid Scheme significantly. Under the new chairperson, Karin Stander, and acting chief executive, Waseem Carrim, efforts are in progress to address the issues of the past. 

Although she had been silent, many believed that Nkabane was strongly trying to get to grips with the corruption among the Setas. Her nemesis, Sihle Ngubane, the former Chairperson of the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority, is now an MP, serving on the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training.

According to reports, under his watch, INSETA allegedly sanctioned dodgy tenders, and was the subject of various investigations. INSETA CEO Gugu Mkhize presided over three qualified audits. In any other organisation, she would have been fired.

When the respected industry player, the Graduate Institute of Financial Services, raised a red flag over her conduct, she promptly de-accredited the organisation. GIFS has taken INSETA to court for R240 million. Nkabane was working to settle. 

As the political principal, she was aware that the Seta CEO’s belligerence would be an indictment of her leadership. And she was prepared to act. Sources say that she was going to push for a settlement of at least half that amount. 

The first task facing Manamela is to read his friend the riot act. As Deputy Minister, Manamela has graced several INSETA events and is prominently featured on their social media pages. His predecessor was attempting to clean up the poor-performing Setas, dealing with errant performers, such as Gugu Mkhize, and the rudderless Construction Education and Training Authority, whose CEO is said to be like a dictator. 

Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), which has raised alarm over the extent of corruption at Setas, is aware of the alleged friendship between Manamela and Mkhize. It’s all over Facebook. The organisation says it will ask for a meeting to discuss the brazen Mkhize. 

Manamela’s first test should be how he deals with the errant Mkhize and the shenanigans at INSETA. What about the damaging lawsuit? Nkabane has passed the baton. And he has inherited a new yet old drama from the Construction Set. 

Another priority is addressing the funding challenges facing tertiary institutions. There are others, but let’s not inundate the new broom.

 I’d rather focus on what he loves talking about most. When it comes to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), for Manamela, no subject arouses as much enthusiasm as the prospect of TVET colleges transforming the workplace and addressing the country’s youth unemployment.

Manamela passionately describes the potential for shifting the dial for South African youth through these skills-based learning institutions, which are geared towards contributing to the economy. He believes that graduates from TVET are more employable than those from universities. If it is going to make a dent in the country’s unemployment figures, Manamela’s optimism must translate into positive results.

As a product of Mamelodi TVET College, Manamela knows what he’s talking about. His youthful face, not masked by the distinguished beard he sometimes sports, lights up when TVET is discussed, particularly its impact on the future.

Manamela completed matric at Phagameng High School in Modimolle. he studied towards his N-Certificate in Electronics at Mamelodi College until 2001, completing his Post-Graduate Diploma (2014) and Master of Management in Public Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand (2017).

Manamela says TVET colleges throughout the country should offer coding, programming and robotics to broaden the skills for the 21st century.

Youthful Manamela is experienced and certainly has reasonable solutions. Nobody doubts the hard road ahead. But let’s give him a chance to show his mettle and see whether he is up to the task of putting South Africa first: serving the people, the party or his friends. 

Buti Manamela: Your mission, now that you have accepted, is possible!

* Edwin Naidu is the head of education start-up Higher Education Media Services (HEMS).

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.