Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has refuted all the claims levelled against him in the damning report released by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).
The Higher Education Minister addressed members of the media on Monday to unpack allegations contained in the OUTA report and governance issues at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
OUTA’s latest investigative report, accompanied by two leaked recordings, indicates that the Blade Nzimande, NSFAS Board Chairperson Earnest Khosa as well as the South African Communist Party (SACP) received kickbacks.
These kickbacks are related to the awarding of a lucrative tender to facilitate the Direct NSFAS allowance payment system.
OUTA’s investigation report came with calls for the minister along with Khosa to hand in their resignations. However, a defiant Nzimande says he has no reason to resign.
Nzimande says they view the serious allegations levelled against him and have called for an urgent meeting with the NSFAS board. This meeting will take place later this week.
Together with the NSFAS Board we are continuing to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure all reported instances of corruption and maladministration at NSFAS are properly investigated and that swift and decisive action is taken.
Nzimande instructed the board to begin implementing the recommendations made in the Werksmans Report. This includes the termination of service provider contracts.
I do a lot of party political fundraising, especially the South African Communist Party, however, with strict guidelines from the SACP, I'm not permitted to raise funds from government entities under my departments or knowingly from service providers.
The minister expressed frustration that he has continued to face corruption allegations. They called on the people making allegations to provide proof.
We are a constitutional state for God's sake, we are not a banana republic, if you are a public representative people can say whatever they like and you are guilty… I vowed I will never on the basis of an allegation treat myself as guilty.
The minister believes that OUTA is now working or colluding with their initial targets to bring down the minister and the NSFAS board.
My suspicion is that the very same people OUTA was attacking initially before this investigation was made, OUTA is now opportunistically colluding with the people they were attacking having been corrupt because now there's a bigger prize which is the head of Blade Nzimande
The minister said members of the media should do their investigative work and find out what is really happening.
The leaking of the recording is to disrupt the smooth start of the academic year and has no regard for the plight of poor and working-class students.
They have slammed OUTA and questioned the reasons behind releasing the reports. The minister alleges that OUTA's release was self-serving.
An organisation like OUTA doesn't care about ordinary poor Black South Africans. It's an organisation of the elite that serves the interests of the elite.
Despite refuting the claims made by OUTA, they say they remain committed to rooting out any corruption.
I stand firm on my commitment to rooting out corruption at NSFAS and all the entities under my department and not allow any organisation or individual to distract me from this task.
Nzaimnde says just because he is a minister does not mean he is fair game. They add that they are looking at their rights that are being violated in this process of facing corruption allegations.
It's like if you are a minister some gossip that is taking place all over the place, people just take that, throw it at you because you are a minister [and] it's going to stick.
I could not just sit back and not go to my lawyers when we are being turned into sitting ducks just because we happen to be ministers, for every Tom, Dick and Harry to insult us.
Nzimande added that the audio recording does not contain his voice.
I wasn't recorded in that, it's not my voice that is that, if you think that is my voice that is wrong… I've been recorded before, being a minister has become a job that is so terrible in many respects.
The minister was previously recorded reprimanding staff in relation to his coverage of departmental platforms. In the leaked audio recording, Nzimande also questioned why events attended by the Deputy Minister Buti Manamela have received more internal coverage than their engagements.
