Political Parties React to President Cyril Ramaphosa's Sacking of Dr Nobuhle Nkabane

• Political parties, including the MK Party and the Democratic Alliance, reacted positively to news that Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has been removed as a minister
• President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Nkabane was replaced as the Minister of Higher Education
• The Democratic Alliance, which took action against Nkabane, celebrated the removal, and the MK Party welcomed the decision

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.

JOHANNESBURG — The MK Party and the Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's removal of Dr Nobuhle Nkabane as the Minister of Higher Education.

The Democratic Alliance posted a statement on 21 July 2025, a few hours after Nkabane was fired. The party, on its @Our_DA X account, accused Nkabane of misleading Parliament and claimed a victory. The party said that Nkabane's departure from Cabinet comes after the DA applied pressure in the fight against corruption within the African National Congress (ANC).

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"Seeing one ANC minister depart Cabinet under storming clouds of lies, deceit, cadre deployment corruption, and a Hawks investigation is a first step to restoring our faith that the GNU will not tolerate corruption," the DA said.

Read the X statement here:

What did the MK Party say?

The MK Party posted on its @MKParliament X account, noting her removal and saying that she didn't account for her Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) board position appointments raised serious concerns about the GNU's governance. The party said that it was evident that the appointments disproportionately favoured individuals with strong ties to the ANC.

"The MK Party was deeply concerned by Dr Nkabane's persistent and blatant refusal to attend critical Portfolio committee meetings and her unwillingness to provide clear answers to repeated inquiries regarding the criteria and processes used in the appointment of the SETA overnight panel," the party said.

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The party also claimed the victory and said its members of Parliament played a decisive role in championing accountability and defending public institutions' integrity.

Read the X statement here:

What happened to Dr Nkabane?

Nkabane faced criticism when she appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education on 30 May 205 to account for the irregular appointment of SETA board chairpersons. She went viral for chewing gum during the sitting and refusing to answer some questions.

The Democratic Alliance accused the ANC of having double standards after Ramaphosa fired Andre Whitfield, who was the former Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. The party laid charges against Nkabane on 1 July for allegedly contravening the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act at the Cape Town Police Station.

DA welcomes Hawks probe into Nkabane

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the case the DA opened against Nkabne has been investigated by the Hawks. Spokesperson Karabo Khakhau said that the party was happy with the case's progress.

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South Africans celebrate as Cyril Ramaphosa fires Nobuhle Nkabane

She said that lying to Parliament and South Africa is not something the DA takes lightly. She said the party would not stop in its fight against corruption.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News