HIGHER Education Minister Blade Nzimande must be fired.
This is the call from opposition parties, including the African Transformation Movement (ATM) and ActionSA, for his alleged involvement in student funding corruption.
On Monday, 8 January, the ATM said Nzimande and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) board chairman Ernest Khosa should resign immediately.
Party leader Vuyo Zungula said it was shocking that the minister was implicated in the stealing of R1 million from the funds intended for students' needs.
"The African Transformation Movement (ATM) strongly condemns the corruption and gross mismanagement exposed in the recent revelations concerning the National Student Financial Aid Scheme," he said.
He said the alleged mismanagement affected the dreams and aspirations of thousands of students who are left without the financial support they need to further their education.
"The dreams of these students are shattered, not because of a lack of potential or determination, but because corruption has eroded the foundation meant to support them in realising their educational goals," said Zungula.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) leaked audio recordings of two meetings between Khosa and a representative of a service provider alleging that the provider appointed to administer the Nsfas' controversial new direct payment system allegedly paid millions of Rands in kickbacks to Nzimande and Khosa, as well as at least R1 million to Nzimande's party, the SA Communist Party (SACP).
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Nzimande and Khosa have since denied the allegations levelled against them.
ActionSA Youth Forum chairwoman Hluphi Gafane said it came as no surprise, confirming their earlier concerns about the questionable defence of direct payment systems by Nzimande and Khosa.
"Despite clear indicators suggesting it was nothing more than an elaborate fraud, both the minister and Board Chairperson continued defending the scheme until the Werkmans Attorneys' Report rendered that defence untenable," she said.
Gafane said in light of "this shocking revelation", ActionSA demands the immediate resignation of both Nzimande and Khosa.
"Additionally, we call on law enforcement to ensure that every implicated person is identified and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," she said.
