WHEN South African president Cyril Ramaphosa named Nobuhle Nkabane as the minister of higher education on 3 July 2024, many people I know in the sector had to Google her name. Dr Nkabane had been deputy minister of mineral resources and energy since August 2021. Nkabane enters an arena that’s ready for new political leadership and has senior figures who are ready, willing and able to work with her. Universities South Africa, which represents the country’s 26 public universities and has a clear-eyed view of the sector’s priorities, has welcomed Nkabane’s appointment. She will need this kind of support: in…