The EFF has condemned the conduct of chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on higher education and training Tebogo Letsie after EFF MP Sihle Lonzi was forcefully removed from a committee meeting.
The incident occurred when Lonzi questioned the director-general about the appointment of Gwede Mantashe's son, Buyambo Mantashe, as chairperson of the manufacturing, engineering and related devices sector education and training authority (merSETA) board.
A leaked list of appointments to sector education and training authority (Seta) boards that has been circulating online revealed Mantashe’s son as one of the Seta boards' chairpersons with the credentials “son of ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe”.
“This undemocratic act was not only unparliamentary in nature, but a violent suppression of accountability and a direct attack on the political rights of MPs to exercise oversight over the executive,” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said.
“Let it be known that Lonzi's only 'crime' was demanding accountability. His question directly addressed the politicisation, cadre deployment, and corruption that has become the defining feature of the ANC's relationship with public institutions.”
EFF slams MP's removal from parliament after questioning Buyambo Mantashe's Seta board appointment
Image: Screenshot
The EFF has condemned the conduct of chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on higher education and training Tebogo Letsie after EFF MP Sihle Lonzi was forcefully removed from a committee meeting.
The incident occurred when Lonzi questioned the director-general about the appointment of Gwede Mantashe's son, Buyambo Mantashe, as chairperson of the manufacturing, engineering and related devices sector education and training authority (merSETA) board.
A leaked list of appointments to sector education and training authority (Seta) boards that has been circulating online revealed Mantashe’s son as one of the Seta boards' chairpersons with the credentials “son of ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe”.
“This undemocratic act was not only unparliamentary in nature, but a violent suppression of accountability and a direct attack on the political rights of MPs to exercise oversight over the executive,” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said.
“Let it be known that Lonzi's only 'crime' was demanding accountability. His question directly addressed the politicisation, cadre deployment, and corruption that has become the defining feature of the ANC's relationship with public institutions.”
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Other contentious appointments include former KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the BANKSETA chairperson and head of the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport Siboniso Mbhele as TETA board member.
“These appointments, made by minister Nobuhle Nkabane, are glaring examples of political patronage, where state institutions intended to empower youth and workers are turned into ANC deployment zones for loyal cadres and family members of the ruling elite.” Thambo said.
Thambo accused Letsie of protecting ANC leaders, saying that his actions undermine the credibility of parliament.
“The EFF will not tolerate the politicisation of parliamentary spaces. We reaffirm the right of our members to hold institutions accountable without fear or censorship. The violent removal of Lonzi is not just an attack on him, it is an attack on democracy and the people of South Africa.”
TimesLIVE
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