Nobuhle Nkabane Defends Video of Her Chewing Gum and Gets Grilled on Social Media

• The Minister of Higher Education, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, defended her conduct in parliament after she went viral
• She faced criticism for chewing gum when she appeared before the portfolio committee on higher education to account for her Sector Education and Training Authority appointments
• She denied chewing gum, said she was eating, and slammed criticism against her, which angered South Africans

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliament and Parliamentary committees, politician-related news, and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

JOHANNESBURG — South Africans rejected Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane's explanation after a video of her chewing gum in Parliament recently went viral.

What did Nkabane say?

Nkabane posted a response to the clip on her @Dr_NobuhleN X account. She attached a longer video of the sitting that happened on 30 May 2025. She denied that she was chewing gum and said that she spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon engaging with Members of Parliament on matters affecting higher education and training.

Nkabane said Tebogo Letsie, the chairperson of the portfolio committee, gave her permission to eat during the sitting.

"Claims that I was rude or disrespectful are false and based on misleading clips taken out of context. I did not disrupt the process. I respect the work of Parliament and remain fully accountable to the Committee and the South African pubic," she said.

Nkabane then encouraged South Africans to watch the full recording to understand the full context.

Why was she in parliament?

Nkabane appeared before the Portfolio Committee after she was accused of cadre deployment. The Democratic Alliance questioned her about appointing members of the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal as chairpersons of various Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).

Economic Freedom Fighters MP Sihle Lonzi was kicked out of parliament on 14 May after he asked the Education Department's Director General, Nkosinathi Sishi, if he was aware that Buyambo Mantashe was appointed as the chairperson of the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (MerSETA).

She scrapped the SETA board appointments after she was accused of nepotism. She also dissolved the panel that picked the names on the initial controversial list. Nkabane said that the appointments would prioritise competency, experience, and representation.

Read the X tweet here:

South Africans reject her response

Netizens were not satisfied with her response and continued to blast her.

Erickhady asked:

"Can't you just apologise? You were chewing while talking, while someone was looking at you expecting a coherent response."

Anold said:

"You told the same chair to Google or use an encyclopaedia while chewing at the same time. As if that was not enough, you were rude and forgot that we are watching you at home. But don't worry, our votes will speak for us."

Zanendyebo said:

"I watched the entire proceeding. You were arrogant and condescending. Even this tweet is undermining our intelligence. But it's all good. We are taking notes. We will meet at the ballot box."

uDletsheni said:

"Your attitude stinks. There's no need to explain yourself."

Mnca-Mnce said:

"It's deployees like you who make the ANC look bad."

Department of Basic Education fined for POPIA violation

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Department of Basic Education was fined R5 million for not complying with the Information Regulator's POPIA order. The Regulator ordered the government not to publish the 2024 matric results.

The department was given 31 days to enforce the order. The department missed the deadline and was fined.

Source: Briefly News