Statement on the Appointment of Comrade Buti Manamela as Minister of Higher Education

Tuesday, 22 July 2025: The South African Communist Party (SACP) welcomes the appointment of Comrade Buti Manamela as Minister of Higher Education. The SACP acknowledges this appointment as a positive action by the President in addressing challenges that affect the higher education sector. Comrade Buti Manamela, who is also a member of the Central Committee of the SACP, has served in the Ministry of Higher Education for several years, during which time he accumulated the requisite experience and knowledge relevant to the issues pertinent to the higher education system. 

We view this appointment as an acknowledgement of the contributions of Comrade Manamela, given his historical political experience in the education space as a former student leader with national leadership credentials, as national leader of the youth as National Secretary of YCLSA and indeed as a long-serving deputy minister. Comrade Manamela assumes the responsibility of the higher education portfolio amidst challenges that pose threats to the sector’s future and the legitimacy of key entities that are essential to the delivery of educational outcomes. The SACP remains committed to playing its role in the struggles taking place in the sector, including playing a critical role in the agenda of transformation, to promote access to education and to improve governance, manifesting in quality outcomes. 

We believe that Comrade Manamela is critical as a leader in achieving these objectives.

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ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY,
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.