Higher education and training minister Buti Manamela is facing mounting legal and political pressure after several former NSFAS board members dragged him to court, while Luthuli House has now summoned ANC MPs serving in the portfolio committee where he is accountable.
The developments mark the latest escalation in a governance storm that has engulfed Manamela’s ministry.
Former NSFAS board members – recently dissolved by Manamela before he installed controversial administrator Professor Hlengani Mathebula – have approached the court on an urgent basis seeking to overturn the minister’s decision, describing it as irrational, unlawful and unconstitutional.
The matter comes as another administrator appointed within entities reporting to Manamela’s department has come under scrutiny. At the Construction Education and Training Authority, an administrator vested with powers similar to those granted to Mathebula at NSFAS has allegedly been criticised for unilaterally increasing his own salary to about R3-million.
These issues now sit at the heart of the argument advanced by the aggrieved former NSFAS board members, who claim Manamela dissolved them because they would not bend to political interference and effectively handed a multi-billion rand state entity into the hands of one individual whose conduct previously attracted criticism at the Sars Nugent commission.
Manamela is simultaneously battling another court matter brought by the EFF, where he has now admitted that his department does not possess minutes of Seta meetings requested by the red berets.
The mounting controversies have attracted the attention of ANC bosses at Luthuli House, which have now called on portfolio committee members to explain the scale of governance problems surrounding the ministry.
ANC insiders said concerns inside party structures have grown sharply in recent weeks amid fears that the situation could spiral into a full-blown political headache.
Some within ANC circles are already drawing comparisons with the scrutiny that preceded the removal of former social development minister Sisi Tolashe.
In the explosive NSFAS court papers, former board members accuse Manamela of directly interfering in the recruitment process for a permanent chief executive officer. The allegations, now made under oath, are among the most politically damaging claims confronting the minister since he took over the higher education portfolio.
“On 11 April 2026, the minister – through his chief of staff – invited the board to a meeting, which was convened for 13 April 2026,” reads the founding affidavit. “I attended on behalf of the board together with Karabo Mohale.”
The deponent says no formal agenda was circulated before the meeting, and alleges that board members had their cellphones confiscated upon arrival.
“It was apparent that the minister did not want a formal record of the meeting.
“At the meeting, the minister told us that the board should not move forward with the process of appointing the CEO.”
The former board members argue that the minister’s conduct amounted to unlawful political interference in the affairs of NSFAS.
“It was clear that he sought to interfere in the appointment of the CEO and disrupt the internal process that the board had undertaken in this regard. Such interference and direction were unlawful.”
The papers further reveal that despite the alleged instruction from Manamela, the board proceeded with the recruitment process and ultimately resolved to appoint Waseem Carrim as NSFAS chief executive.
According to the affidavit, the board formally requested the minister’s concurrence on the CEO’s conditions of service in line with the NSFAS Act, but Manamela allegedly never responded before dissolving the board.
The former board members insist the dissolution was unlawful because NSFAS was functional at the time, meaning there were no jurisdictional grounds to impose administration. They further challenge the appointment of Mathebula, arguing that the minister failed to consult the board and selected an individual previously criticised by the Nugent commission into governance failures at Sars.
“The minister elected not to consult with the board members and claimed that such consultation was not practicable,” the applicants argue.
The affidavit references findings by the Nugent commission which criticised Mathebula for approving requests to monitor Sars officials’ emails without sufficient legal justification and for supporting investigative actions allegedly advanced at the request of former Sars commissioner Tom Moyane.
The urgent court challenge is expected to intensify pressure on Manamela as ANC structures increasingly scrutinise governance failures within entities reporting to his ministry.
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- Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela faces legal challenges after dissolving the NSFAS board and appointing controversial administrator Prof. Hlengani Mathebula, accused of unlawful political interference.
- Former NSFAS board members seek to overturn their dissolution, alleging Manamela interfered in CEO recruitment and handed control to Mathebula, previously criticized by the Nugent commission.
- Parallel scrutiny emerges over another administrator at the Construction Education and Training Authority accused of unilaterally increasing his salary to about R3 million.
- ANC leadership at Luthuli House has summoned portfolio committee members over governance issues, fearing the situation could cause a political crisis similar to past ministerial removals.
- Manamela is also embroiled in another court case with the EFF for missing Seta meeting minutes, intensifying ANC concerns about his ministry’s governance and accountability.
