“Recalibration” of SETA board chair appointments on shaky ground unless the public sector strengthens its nominations processes

Even the creative reframing of the withdrawal of 20 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA) board chair appointments – as an example of democracy in action – can’t disguise the fact that governance failures like these could be easily avoided. “This isn’t rocket science,” says Parmi Natesan, CEO of the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA). “The public sector needs to get its nomination processes up to scratch. There is no excuse for not appointing the right people in the first place.”

Political motivation
So, where does the problem lie? The Higher Education Minister was publicly called out for appointing prominent ANC politicians and others linked to the party as SETA board chairs. Among mounting pressure, she decided to “recalibrate the process” and form an independent panel to oversee the new nominations and recommend suitable candidates. This time, she said in a statement, the process would focus on merit, competencies, and relevant experience, while also ensuring a balanced representation regarding race, gender, youth, and persons with disabilities.

According to media reports, the ANC welcomed the decision as a principled act and reaffirmation of the party’s commitment to ethical governance and democratic accountability. In line with this PR strategy, President Cyril Ramaphosa is reported as suggesting that South Africans should be grateful to have a government that listens when it has made mistakes.

Clear guidelines
While Natesan agrees that restarting the nominations process is the correct approach to rectify the flawed initial process, she is concerned about a possible clash between so-called cadre deployment and a fair transparent process. “Who actually knows what their new process is?” she asks. “What we need is transparency and a clear guideline used in all public sector board appointments to ensure good governance and improve organisational oversight. The criteria for appointing senior roles should no longer be politically motivated.”

She points out that the IoDSA provided extensive input to the Department of Public Services and Administration into the planned update of the “Handbook for the appointment of persons to boards of state and state-controlled institutions”, but this was not approved by Cabinet. “We were hopeful that an updated handbook may make a positive difference, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that a sound nominations process was applied in the SETA appointments or by the public sector in general,” says Natesan.

Getting it right
The SETA board chairs should have started serving their five-year term on 1 April 2025, overseeing their organisation’s mandate of addressing the mismatch between the available skills and those required by the labour market. In her statement, the Minister tried to defend her previous chair appointments, listing their academic degrees and areas of expertise without mentioning any actual board experience. Yet King IV makes it very clear that chairs require not only the right skills but also the right experience, in addition to being independent. “This recommendation is designed to ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of the organisation, rather than being unduly influenced by a single shareholder,” says Natesan.

It's encouraging that the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education still expects the Minister to account for the original appointment process, including the composition and credibility of the panel tasked with making these recommendations.

“We can only repeat our pleas to strengthen the nominations process and the professionalisation of board members in the public sector,” says Natesan. “The framework and guidance for appointing the right people, based on competency rather than political connection, are readily available. They just need to be applied.”

ENDS

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