EFF to hold march in South Africa demanding Minister Buti Manamela’s resignation
In South Africa, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party will hold a march to the Ministry of Higher Education and Training in Pretoria on Friday, September 18, demanding the resignation of Minister Buti Manamela. EFF member of parliament Sihle Lonzi cited the minister’s actions regarding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) as the reason for the protest, Daily Maverick reports.
Court ruling on NSFAS
The march will take place after a ruling by the Gauteng High Court, which ordered Manamela to reinstate seven NSFAS board members. They were dismissed during the appointment of suspended administrator Hlengani Mathebula. The court pointed to procedural shortcomings in the minister’s actions and described Mathebula’s conduct as “strange.”
Before Mathebula’s appointment, the NSFAS board recommended Waseem Carrim for the position of chief executive officer. According to the board, the process was halted due to Manamela’s political interference. After losing the High Court case, the minister appointed advocate Richard Tlou Ramashia as interim chair of the board and reinstated Carrim as acting NSFAS chief executive officer.
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Party’s claims and ministry’s response
Lonzi said that reinstating the officials does not resolve the problems faced by students, including issues of funding, accommodation, middleman schemes and evictions. The EFF is also expanding its court case against Manamela related to the reappointment of heads of Sector Education and Training Authorities (Seta).
Ministry of Higher Education and Training spokesperson Matshepo Seedat said the department would receive the protesters’ memorandum and consider the issues raised. According to her, the minister is focused on stabilizing NSFAS, strengthening governance in the sector and responding to identified cases of irregularities. She also noted that the recovery of public funds must be accompanied by appropriate consequences for individuals and companies involved in wrongdoing, depending on the outcomes of investigations.
Representatives of opposition parties in parliament also expressed concern about instability at NSFAS and Seta. Democratic Alliance MP Delmaine Christians cited an auditor’s finding of irregularities in appointments at 15 Setas. MK party MP Mnqobi Msezane said key reports that the parliamentary committee demanded after a meeting with the former NSFAS administrator have still not been submitted.
