South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday dismissed his embattled higher education minister, weeks after a key party in his unity government filed criminal charges.
Ramaphosa has faced mounting pressure in recent months as several ministers from his African National Congress (ANC) party have been accused of corruption.
This situation deepens tensions within the 10-party ruling coalition, which is grappling with significant internal challenges.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second largest group in government, earlier this month filed a formal complaint against Minister Nobuhle Nkabane.
They accused her of deliberately lying to parliament in an attempt to cover up the “fraudulent” appointment of ANC-linked figures to various education authority boards.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has removed Dr Nobuhle Nkabane from the role of Minister of Higher Education and Training,” the presidency announced in a statement Monday night.
This dismissal followed Nkabane’s failure to attend several key parliamentary meetings where she was expected to clarify the controversial appointments.
The DA, which joined the government after the ANC lost its majority last year due to voter disillusionment, stated that graft had become “standard practice” under Ramaphosa’s rule.
Voter disillusionment stemmed from widespread corruption and mismanagement, leading to significant shifts in the political landscape.
The DA has also laid separate corruption charges against Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, alleging fraudulent billing to the national electricity supplier Eskom.
Furthermore, Ramaphosa was compelled to suspend his police minister on July 13, following bombshell accusations by a provincial police chief. The chief alleged receiving illicit payments from a corruption suspect and colluding with organized crime, creating a major scandal.
South Africa currently ranks 82nd globally according to the corruption perception index compiled by the non-governmental organization Transparency International.