Committee rejects Nkabane’s apology for not appearing

FILE | Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane addresses a press briefing.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has rejected the apology that Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has submitted.

She has requested the committee to excuse her after it asked her to appear before it to account for the debacle surrounding the appointment of Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board chairpersons.

Nkabane, along with senior officials from her department, was called to appear before the committee to explain the process of appointing the independent panel responsible for the appointment of Seta board chairpersons.

She took flak last month after it emerged that some of the board chairpersons were said to be politically connected with others being officials of her department.

Committee Chairperson Tebogo Letsie disclosed the correspondence from Nkabane.

“I have received an apology from the minister which I will read here to members. Upon receiving the apology from the minister, I responded to her and I indicated that I am not accepting her apology because why would she not be available for today?”