Disgraced Nobuhle Nkabane now ANC deputy chief whip

Disgraced former higher education ministerNobuhle Nkabanehas made a strong political comeback with her appointment as the ANC’s deputy chief whip in parliament. On ThursdayNkabanewas appointed to the front benches of the ANC in the National Assembly, as the deputy to chief whipMdumiseni Ntuli. Nkabane was removed from her position asminister of higher education and trainingover a scandal involving the appointment of chairpersons of the Seta boards.

She had come under fire after packing the Seta boards with ANC-linked politicians and associates. At the height of that scandal in July last year, she was accused of repeatedly lying to parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education over the appointments. After her axing, she was relegated to the backbenches of the National Assembly, where she served as an ordinary member of the portfolio committee on agriculture.

But with her new position, after replacing Doris Mpapane, Nkabane is now the ANC’s second-most powerful politician in parliament, giving orders to members of its parliamentary caucus. Last week, Mpapane was elected the inaugural chair of the newly established portfolio committee on the Presidency. Nkabane, who joined parliament in 2019, has also previously served as the deputy minister of mineral resources and energy. She holds a range of degrees, including an MSc from the University of London and a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.