The Democratic Alliance (DA) confirmed on Monday that the criminal complaint it laid against African National Congress (ANC) Minister Nobuhle Nkabane is now under investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, the Hawks.

Last week, the party laid criminal charges against Higher Education and Training Minister Nkabane, for allegedly lying to Parliament about ANC cadre appointments.

The party promised to vote against her department’s budget and other budgets of departments led by what it calls “corrupt” ANC Ministers.

DA Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training member Karabo Khakhau said Nkabane faces allegations of manufacturing a scheme that saw senior ANC personalities deployed to high-paying sector education and training authority board jobs, benefiting the family of Gwede Mantashe, the former ANC Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, former ANC MECs in KwaZulu-Natal, a former ANC Deputy Minister in national government, and the ANC’s provincial coordinator in KwaZulu-Natal – until she was forced to overturn this cadre deployment.

“Nkabane allegedly headed up a scheme to make ANC cadres rich, and rolled out a sequence of lies and deception to cover it up. For that gross abuse of power, she has suffered zero consequences from President Ramaphosa,” Khakhau said.

The DA said it was looking forward to ongoing cooperation with the Hawks, as the investigation got underway.

Khakhau accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of taking zero action against ANC corruption.

“It is unfathomable that President Ramaphosa remains idle and silent about allegations of egregious ANC corruption and law-breaking in the National Executive. Why will Ramaphosa not fire Nkabane, Simelane and other corruption-implicated ANC Ministers?” she asked.