Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday announced that it has laid a criminal complaint with the police against Higher Education Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande.
“Today the DA laid criminal charges against the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Blade Nzimande, for his role in allegedly defrauding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) through kickbacks paid to him, NSFAS board chairperson, Ernest Khoza, and the South African Communist Party (SACP),” said Karabo Khakhau MP and DA shadow deputy minister of higher education.
“This alleged corruption was revealed by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) in a report and leaked audio recordings of meetings between Khosa, Thula Ntumba – the husband of Tshegofatso Ntumba, a director at Coinvest, which is one of the four NSFAS direct payment service providers – and an unnamed third party.
“These recordings allegedly reveal discussions about the appointment of Werksmans Attorneys in order to try and manipulate the outcome of the NSFAS investigation, payments to the SACP, Minister Nzimande, as well as Khoza.”
Khakhau added: “Yesterday, Minister Nzimande squandered his opportunity to take the public into his confidence.
“He provided no evidence to contradict OUTA’s allegations and assure vulnerable students who depend on NSFAS or the public at large that he hasn’t willfully risked their futures to enrich himself and his comrades.”
Responding to the allegations on Monday, Minister Nzimande rejected the OUTA findings as false and denied ever receiving kickbacks.
On the recordings, Minister Nzimande said: “It’s not my voice…”.
He said he was not going to resign and was instead consulting his lawyers to defend his rights.
The minister said he was going to appear before the ethics bodies of the African National Congress and the SA Communist Party, which he leads.
