African National Congress Welcomes Appointment of Buti Manamela and Nomusa Dube-Ncube
- The African National Congress has reacted to the appointment of the new minister and deputy minister of higher education
- President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Buti Manamela as the minister and former KwaZulu-Natal premier
- South Africans accused the party of cadre deployment and were not happy that Dube-Ncube was appointed
Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliamentary Proceedings, and politician-related news, as well as elections, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.
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JOHANNESBURG — The African National Congress (ANC) welcomed the appointment of Buti Manamela and Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the Minister and Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, respectively. This was after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired Dr Nobuhle Nkabane as the minister on 21 July 2025.
The ANC released a statement in which it responded to Dube-Ncube and Manamela's appointments. Dube-Ncube previously served as the KwaZulu-Natal Premier, while Manamela has served as the deputy minister of higher education since 2019.
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The ANC praised Manamela as a seasoned leader with strong ties to the youth and student movement. The party added that Manalema's appointment was well aligned to its goals of consolidating transformation and restoring governance integrity.
"The ANC is confident that the new leadership team will advance access, equity, and quality in the higher education sector. We extend our gratitude to Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane for her service and wishes her well in her future endeavours," the party said.
Why was Dr Nkabane fired?
Dr. Nkabane was removed from her position after she got into hot water for irregularly appointing ANC-aligned figures as Sector Education and Training Authority board members. Dube-Ncube was one of the irregular appointees, and she was appointed as the Bank SETA chairperson.
She appeared before Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Higher Education on 30 May 2025 to account for her appointments. She was slammed for chewing bubble gum during the proceedings. She later denied that she was chewing gum.
She was also ordered to appear before the committee, and she sent an apology after failing to do so. She said that she was attending a Gender-based violence event. Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie rejected the explanation.
What did South Africans say?
South Africans commenting on Facebook discussed the appointments.
Real Reformist said:
"The ANC in KZN sees Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube's appointment as a strategic move, recognizing her experience and leadership."
Sabelo Zondo said:
"As long as she is from ANC, o tsotsi."
Sam Kaula said:
"It's giving Minister of Defence vibes."
Axania Nonzwelethu Mzalwana said:
"Was she not on the contested boards appointment list in Parliament by Nobuhle, the outgoing Minister of Higher Education?"
The Big 6 said:
"This is a calculated move."
Political parties react to Nobuhle Nkabane's axing
In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Mkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) reacted to the removal of Nkabane as a minister. Both parties welcomed the decision.
The Democratic Alliance, which opened a criminal case against Nkabane, said it would continue to fight ANC corruption. The MK Party congratulated its MPs on the Portofiol Committee on Higher Education for playing a part in her removal.
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Source: Briefly News
