Minister refutes allegations in OUTA report

Summary:

Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, has refuted allegations made by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) of receiving kickbacks from service providers to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The Minister stated that he has never used money from his department's entities to fund the South African Communist Party (SACP) and that the allegations are part of a nefarious fight-back campaign linked to his efforts to fight corruption and ensure clean governance at NSFAS. He highlighted his track record in fighting corruption and ensured that the contracts of four direct payment service providers were terminated as recommended by the Werksman Report.