Johannesburg - Spokesperson for the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology Ishmael Mnisi has refused to respond to media enquiries from The Star following a leaked audio recording in which a fuming Minister Blade Nzimande registers his unhappiness over the lack of media attention devoted to him.
This comes after Nzimande called his director-general and deputy minister to order after he accused them of excluding him from the department’s media platform.
Mnisi said yesterday that he has already answered three media enquiries from three of the country’s Sunday papers and would not be commenting on alleged tensions between the minister, his deputy Buti Manamela, DG Nkosinathi Sishi, his deputy director Lucky Masuku and the head of the communications team, Mnisi.
“My response has been covered by the three Sunday newspapers today. There is nothing new to add,” said Mnisi.
However, Nzimande, who was in Kimberley at the weekend to pay his respects to SACP veteran Chris Matlhaku, told the SABC that there were no tensions between himself, the deputy minister or members of his team.
“I was hoping that you were not going to ask me that. There’s really no tension. All that reflects is that I work for the government as a minister, I like my work done by everybody who works with me, and I want things to be done correctly. As ministers, we are held to account if things don’t go right. So there’s no tension. We work well, me and the deputy minister,” he said.
At the weekend, in a leaked audio recording on social media, Nzimande can be heard telling members of his communication team and deputy minister Buti Manamela, his DG Nkosinathi Sishi, deputy director Lucky Masuku and Mnisi to stop outshining him when it comes to media attention.
He said that as the minister, he was the official spokesperson for the department and felt let down by attempts by the team to exclude him from occupying more airtime.
“Why? Is there someone with an issue against me in the department? I am never covered by the DHET wall. Never ever, yet I am the department’s chief spokesperson for both the Department of Science and Technology, and Higher Education. Now I want an explanation here today as to why that is the case,” the minister said.
Nzimande said it was not the first time he had been outshone by the DG or his deputy minister, adding that every time he needed things to be done right, he had to complain.
“Friday was worse. (It) was embarrassing. We had this big programme. It was a massive programme. We were launching a computer media lab. It was the second that we were launching in the country.
"The first one we launched won an international award. Here I am, the chief spokesperson for the department. Now I am not in competition, DG. We should never in the future have any functions competing with the minister’s functions, even with the deputy minister," he said.
"I said when I start speaking, please go to the DHET wall right at the same time, and who is captured speaking is the DG. I do not have a problem with the DG being covered. But what the wall is doing is interchanging between the DG and the deputy minister. I was not covered on Friday,” Nzimande said.
He said such sabotage would end up creating confusion and tension between himself and the deputy minister and needed to be corrected.
“It is not the first time. In many instances, I am speaking there, and the wall is covering the deputy minister. In essence, what the communication team is doing is deliberately causing tension between myself and the deputy minister by doing so,” the minister said.
The Star