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In a media briefing convened by the CEO of the Services SETA, Mr. Ivor Blumenthal, he made certain allegations against the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr. Blade Nzimande, which he repeated on SABC radio this morning. The Minister has no intention of engaging in a public spat with a CEO of a public entity, which is accountable, through its Accounting Authority, to the Executive Authority. We do, however, wish to set the record straight on the lies being peddled by Mr. Blumenthal.
Mr. Blumenthal asserts that the measures that have been introduced to strengthen accountability, and improve corporate governance in the entire SETA system, are attempts by the Minister to access and control SETA resources for the benefit of the South African Communist Party (SACP), of which he is General-Secretary. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is that since last year the department of Higher Education and Training, as well as the National Skills Authority (a statutory body which advices the Minister on Skills Development) have embarked on extensive consultation with all stakeholders on the third National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS3), as well as measures that can be undertaken to improve efficiency and accountability within the system. Some of these measures include developing a model constitution, reducing and standardizing the size of boards, introducing directly elected Ministerial Appointees to SETA boards, introducing an Independent Chairperson in line with good corporate governance, and elevating the appointment of the CEO to a Cabinet appointment.

All these measures, which have been overwhelmingly well received by most stakeholders, are aimed at enhancing accountability within the system, improving governance, eliminating wastage and bringing these public entities in line with practices in all other public entities. All other SETAs have welcomed these measures, and have duly complied.
Mr. Blumenthal has however decided to embark on a campaign to discredit all attempts by the department to improve governance and accountability, and has even gone public with a threat of legal action. We cannot comment however on an as yet nonexistent legal action.
We wish to state categorically that the Minister has a responsibility to ensure that every cent that is meant for skills development is utilized for that, and these measures are aimed at ensuring that. No amount of propaganda and lies, which are aimed at diverting us away from that, will deter us.
We challenge Mr. Blumenthal to show the country how improving corporate governance is bad for the SETAs. We further challenge him to produce evidence of his wild allegations that these measures are aimed at diverting SETA resources to the SACP, and to provide proof of that the Minister invited him to SACP fundraising events.