Mr Speaker, hon members, Deputy Ministers, Ministers, I would like to express appreciation for the opportunity that I have just received. I have noticed that the hon Bhanga has a talent. He must go to Jika Majika, because he always dances when he is at the podium, which is actually a debating platform.
It is true that the Vice Chancellor, Prof Mthembu, whined and tried to hide through the newspapers the maladministration and the dysfunctionality of the institution. Also, he was not running the institution properly. That is why all the reports of the independent assessors appointed by the Minister - KPMG and Adv Lube - said clearly that the institution could not function properly, and that it had failed. That is why this amending Bill will be of assistance.
One of the principles of White Paper 3 on higher education is to promote equal access and fair chances of success for all who seek to realise their potential through higher education, while eradicating all forms of unfair discrimination and advancing the redress of past inequalities.
Nawe Ndvuna, wati kahle kutsi kuletikhatsi letendlulile emanyuvesi abekhona kuto tonkhe tindzawo, kodvwa eMpumalanga naseNshonalanga Kapa kuphela kwetifundza lebetite emanyuvesi. Ngako-ke, loku ngiko lokutawuhlangabetana nalesidzingo , njengobe sekunaletakhiwomsebenti tesive temfundvo lephakeme, sekutaba lula kutsi tisitakale letifundza letimbili. Kodvwa-ke, lesikufunako kulesikhatsi sanyalo, kutsi kwakhiwe tinhlaka letitakwati kusebenta ngetindlela letifanele, tikwati kuchaza ngalokucacile kutsi tisetjentiswe kanjani timali tahulumende lebetabelwe letinhlaka. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[Even you, Minister, know quite well that universities were everywhere in the past, but Mpumalanga and Northern Cape were the only provinces without them. Therefore, this will meet the need, since there are public higher education and training institutions in place now, it will be easy for these two provinces to get assistance. However, what we presently need is the erection of structures that will be able to function properly and to give account of how the government funds allocated to them were spent.]
It is very important that we take note of the fact that all these disadvantages were because not all the learners that came from other provinces - Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape - had equal opportunities to get an equal education. I normally call them "migrant students", because they come from other provinces. This costs a lot of money for their parents.
When the National Institute for Higher Education was established, the Higher Education Act did not make provision for the Minister to intervene in the event of the need to address governance and management and the related challenges of these institutions. The proposed amendments of the Higher Education and Training Laws Amendment Bill will address the inadequacy of this function. Clauses 38J to 38O of the Bill before us today seek, among other things, to empower the Minister to intervene where necessary, by issuing a directive to the board of the National Institute for Higher Education to take action specified by the Minister; to appoint an administrator; to dissolve the board of the national institutes; and to disestablish the national institutes.
The Minister would not be able to do all this if he was not given legal provision provided by this Bill. That is why, Minister, it is very important that I give you all the support necessary so that you are able to make sure these institutions are accountable for the public monies that they have been given.
The ANC welcomes the support and the extension of the powers of the Minister to issue directives to the National Institute for Higher Education. This amending Bill will go a long way towards resolving the challenges before they escalate to the point at which they would warrant investigation by the independent assessors, and, consequently, the appointment of an administrator.
Siyacaphela-ke, Ndvuna, kutsi lokubalulekile ngulokutsi akukafaneli kutsi nakunesidzingo sekusita, lusito lwentiwe ngesikhatsi sekunetikinga. Kodvwa kufanele kutsi, titsi tisacala nje tinkinga kuveta inhloko, lusheshe lungenele lusito kuletakhiwomsebenti tesive, kuze lukwati kucatulula letinkinga tisavela. Ngobe, lokutsi lucale kungenelela ngesikhatsi letakhiwomsebenti setivele tonakele kudla lenyenti imali yahulumende. Ngako- ke, kubaluleke kakhulu, Ndvuna, kutsi Lomtsetfosivivinyo ukunike onkhe emandla lowadzingako. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[We are noting, Minister, that what is important is that, when a need to address issues arises, we shouldn't wait until the challenges have escalated. But we must immediately nip them in the bud because addressing them, once they have escalated, is very costly to the government. It is therefore very important Minister, that the Bill should give you all the powers that you need.]
This Bill must give you the support that you need. And, all the other progressive organisations have given you their support. That means that your early and timely intervention will make these institutions respond accordingly.
We also take note of what some of the stakeholders raised, in that they are concerned that this might give you, Minister, too much power to micromanage these institutions. But we know that, with your intellectual and Marxist analysis capacity, you will not be able to do so, because you are too highly intelligent to go and want to intervene in institutions just because of political hunger. You are not politically hungry. You are not like other people who don't want to swallow their pride and apologise in this august House. People should stop coming into this august House just to politicise issues; they should understand issues.
It is very important to take note that the hon Blade Nzimande, the Minister, has been given this responsibility because he is an intellectual. We believe that he will not encroach on the autonomy of these institutions and encroach on academic freedom. We know all these things because this is a democracy, and you are trying to ensure that we establish democratic institutions that will address the current status, unlike the institutions that were established by the former apartheid regime, which managed to segregate other provinces by not giving them opportunities for higher education and learning. In summary, the ANC supports the Bill. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]