By Levy Masiteng 

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has rejected claims that it has been placed under administration, dismissing online reports of such as “false and misleading”.

The department issued the clarification after claims circulated that the provincial education department was facing national government intervention under Section 100 of the Constitution.

Section 100 allows the national executive to intervene when a province cannot or does not fulfil an executive obligation.

ALSO READ: MPs threaten summons for Manamela over collapsed NSFAS briefing

Such an intervention may include issuing a directive to the province or, where necessary, assuming responsibility for the relevant obligation.

If responsibility is assumed, the national executive must notify the National Council of Provinces within 14 days, and the intervention is subject to parliamentary approval and review.

The rumours gained traction amid ongoing scrutiny over financial and operational pressures in the department, including budget constraints, accruals, staffing pressures and concerns about the delivery of education services.

However, the department insisted that no intervention had been approved.

“The department has not been placed under administration,” it said.

ALSO READ: Gwarube: AI can’t replace basic learning

“Any decision to place a provincial department under administration is a significant executive action that can only be authorised by the National Cabinet and must be formally communicated through an official Cabinet statement. No such Cabinet decision or statement has been issued.”

The department added that there was “no decision taken by the National Cabinet to invoke Section 100 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and place the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education under administration”.

The department warned the public against relying on unverified social media claims.

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By Levy Masiteng 

About 100 students at the University of the Western Cape marched on Thursday over poor residence conditions, as demonstrations unfolded during the institution’s mid-year examination period.

The students marched to the university’s main campus to demand urgent intervention over “poor living conditions” in campus residences.

Student leaders said the issues had been raised repeatedly with management since 2023, accusing the university of failing to act on complaints about poor maintenance, inadequate shower facilities, poor cooking conditions and unstable Wi-Fi connectivity at residences.

“We have been raising these issues for years, but nothing changes,” one student leader said during the march.

ALSO READ: KZN Education denies claims of being under administration

Students said unstable internet access was affecting their ability to study and prepare for examinations.

They said that poor sanitation and overcrowded facilities were creating “unbearable” living conditions at a critical point in the academic calendar.

UWC students are currently writing mid-year assessments, placing additional pressure on university management to resolve the standoff quickly.

According to the university’s academic calendar, mid-year assessments began on 19 May and continue until 3 June.

EWN reported that examinations were continuing despite the protest, and that an attempt by some protesting students to disrupt exams on Thursday morning was quickly contained by university officials.

The protest followed earlier accommodation-related unrest at UWC this year.

In February, students shut down the campus over residence placements, with SRC president McIntosh Khasembe saying at the time that about 4,000 students still needed to be placed in residences.

Video footage published online showed students gathering on campus and marching in protest, with some demonstrations disrupting movement around university facilities.

Student representatives reportedly gave university management two days to address their grievances after a meeting held on Monday.

ALSO READ: CETA slammed over administrator’s R3 million salary, governance failures

UWC’s Residential Services division says its Student Housing section deals with physical infrastructure, services, maintenance and assets, while other sections handle placement, administration and residence life support.

But students insisted that maintenance failures and poor living standards had persisted despite repeated engagements with the university.

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Simon Nare

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has recommended that Minister Buti Manamela be brought before it, by summons if necessary, after a scheduled briefing on the crisis at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) collapsed over the department’s failure to submit its presentation on time.

Committee members on Wednesday accused Manamela of disrespecting Parliament after Tuesday’s meeting was postponed. The meeting was meant to allow him to explain his decision earlier this month to dissolve the NSFAS board and place the scheme under administration for 24 months, or until a new board is appointed.

Professor Hlengani Mathebula has since been appointed as NSFAS administrator.

The committee also wanted former NSFAS board members to account for events leading up to the administration decision, including mass resignations, governance failures and internal disputes over the appointment of a chief executive officer.

Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie told MPs during Wednesday’s sitting that the department had not submitted its presentation by late Monday, despite being required to do so by 5pm on Friday.

Letsie said Manamela had written to him at 5pm on Friday asking for an extension.

“We did not respond to it because the letter in itself was problematic. It did not say we are asking for an extension from Friday to Saturday or Friday to Sunday or Friday to Monday. So, we did not respond to that particular letter, hoping that they will respond, they will bring the presentation as required throughout the weekend,” he said.

Letsie said he kept committee members updated throughout the weekend that the presentation had still not been received. By late Monday afternoon, he said, it became clear that the committee could not proceed with the meeting.

Letsie said the administrator wrote to him only on Monday to say the request to bring former board members would not be entertained because they were no longer in the books of NSFAS and paying for their flights and accommodation would amount to wasteful expenditure.

He said he found this “bizarre” because the request had been made on 7 May, yet the committee was informed only on the eve of the meeting.

Letsie also criticised Manamela for writing to him on Tuesday to say he was ready to attend the postponed meeting, a position later reflected in a statement issued by the department.

“The statement was a bit problematic because it indicated or painted a picture that we cancelled the meeting when they were ready to come but they had not sent the presentation,” he said.

In its statement, the Department of Higher Education and Training said Manamela had confirmed his availability and readiness to appear before the committee. It said the postponement took place in the context of urgent litigation by former NSFAS board members over the decision to place the scheme under administration.

The department said Manamela remained committed to parliamentary accountability and would continue engaging the committee on a suitable future date.

But MPs across party lines said the minister must be called to account and that the committee should ramp up efforts to secure his appearance, including approaching National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza if necessary.

ANC MP Gaolatlhe David Kgabo said Manamela must correct the public impression that the meeting was cancelled despite him being ready to appear.

“We will not allow the minister to drag our names through the mud as the portfolio committee. We will not allow our integrity undermined,” Kgabo said.

“It must be made public and be affirmed that indeed the minister has failed to adhere to his responsibilities of making sure that he submits the report before the committee so that we can process that report,” he said.

EFF MP Sihle Lonzi said Manamela had no choice but to appear before the committee.

“The minister must come to parliament whether he likes it or not. Kicking and screaming we want him here so that we can ask him those questions,” Lonzi said.

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By Lebone Rodah Mosima

The South African Union of Students (SAUS) has accused the National Student Financial Aid Scheme of pushing thousands of students into hunger, uncertainty and possible eviction after freezing allowances for more than 12,000 beneficiaries while the scheme is under administration.

SAUS said this week that students across the country had been placed under “Gap Investigation” (verification) despite having qualified for NSFAS funding.

“At the verge of tests and final examinations, thousands of students have not received their meal allowances from NSFAS, accommodation allowances have not been paid to landlords.”

The union said the delays had subjected students to hunger, uncertainty, psychological distress and the risk of eviction from accommodation providers nationwide.

It said it was unacceptable that students were expected to prepare for examinations under “inhumane and unstable conditions”.

SAUS said it had consistently warned about the dangers of instability at NSFAS while the scheme was under administration.

NSFAS was placed under administration by Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela earlier this month after what he said was governance instability, legal concerns and operational weaknesses at the scheme.

At the time, Manamela said the intervention was intended to protect continuity, including student funding, allowances and appeals.

“To date, there remains uncertainty regarding lines of accountability and communication within NSFAS,” the union said.

“We are equally alarmed by the growing number of students being defunded by NSFAS while appeals processes were resolved and students were provisionally funded.”

It also warned that the higher education sector could continue to face serious consequences linked to the so-called “close-out project”, where SAUS says qualifying students risk being unable to graduate or obtain their qualifications because of historical and administrative debt.

“This is a serious threat to student success and academic progression,” the union said.

SAUS called on NSFAS to unfreeze all meal and accommodation allowances for affected students, settle all outstanding payments owed to landlords, and improve governance and leadership structures to ensure accountability and effective communication with stakeholders.

It also called for the urgent finalisation and approval of the 2026 NSFAS funding guidelines.

The union further demanded that meal allowances be increased beyond the current R1,650 threshold, that NSFAS funding be urgently reinstated for all defunded students, and that tuition shortfalls owed to institutions be settled to prevent unfair debt accumulation and exclusion.

“SAUS will continue to defend the rights and dignity of students and will not fold its arms while poor and working-class students are subjected to suffering due to administrative failures and sponsored instability within NSFAS,” it said.

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training postponed a scheduled meeting with Manamela on Tuesday.

It said the meeting was postponed because the department had not submitted its presentation to the committee. Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie said the committee had expected Manamela to brief MPs on his decision to place NSFAS under administration, but the department’s non-submission had made the meeting impossible.

Manamela’s office, however, said the postponement occurred in the context of urgent litigation proceedings instituted by former NSFAS board members relating to the decision to place NSFAS under administration, as well as related legal and procedural processes.

Manamela said he remained “fully committed to parliamentary accountability and will continue engaging the Portfolio Committee appropriately and constructively, including on a suitable future date to be agreed upon with the Committee.”

He also reiterated that all decisions regarding NSFAS had been aimed at protecting student funding continuity, restoring governance stability, strengthening accountability, and safeguarding the long-term integrity and sustainability of NSFAS as a public institution serving poor and working-class students.

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By Charmaine Ndlela

Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile has officially launched the “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” Thuto-Pele – Education First community outreach programme.

The two-month initiative seeks to create direct engagement between government, communities and education stakeholders on challenges affecting schools and surrounding communities.

According to the Gauteng Department of Education, the programme will focus on issues including learner safety, crime, vandalism, substance abuse and improving overall education outcomes in public schools.

ALSO READ: Gauteng schools buckle under rising municipal bills

In a statement, Maile said the campaign would be rolled out across 46 communities in all 15 school districts in Gauteng.

“Over the coming weeks, we will be embarking on the “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” community engagements across the length and breadth of our province. We have scheduled 46 community meetings across all 15 districts so that we can engage with stakeholders in the education sector,” he said.

Maile added that the engagements would bring together community members, parents, learners, teachers, school governing bodies, churches, youth formations and civic organisations to collectively address challenges facing schools.

The programme, led jointly by the Gauteng Department of Education and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, is intended to strengthen partnerships between government and local communities.

“These engagements are aimed at strengthening collaboration between government, communities and local stakeholders to identify solutions, protect schools and improve education outcomes in public schools across the province,” Maile said.

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The first community engagement took place on Monday at the Faranani Multipurpose Centre in Tsakane, where community members raised concerns about disruptions to teaching and learning caused by violent incidents among learners, including stabbings at schools.

Residents told the MEC that their communities remain among the hardest hit by education-related challenges in the province, particularly learner violence, substance abuse and school safety concerns.

During the first week of the programme, Maile is expected to visit the Gauteng East and Ekurhuleni North districts, engaging communities in Geluksdal, Tsakane, Etwatwa, Tembisa, Edenvale, Kempton Park, Birchleigh, Elandsfontein and Daveyton.

Maile said education should not be left solely to schools, describing it as a collective societal responsibility.

“We are calling on everyone to step up and be part of the solution,” he said.

The department has encouraged parents, youth groups, taxi operators, faith-based organisations, ward councillors, school governing bodies, sporting structures and community forums to actively participate in the engagements.

“By thinking outside the box and combining the efforts, talents and skills of government with those of various stakeholders, I am confident that we can overcome the challenges facing our schools,” Maile said.

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By Thapelo Molefe

Schools across Gauteng are struggling to keep the lights on, maintain water supply and sustain basic services as education funding fails to keep pace with rising municipal tariffs, according to the DA.

The issue was highlighted during a media briefing by Gauteng MEC for Education Lebogang Maile on Sunday, where he acknowledged that some schools were facing severe financial pressure due to “misalignment” between increases in municipal tariffs and annual allocations provided to schools.

Maile said schools were dealing with rising electricity, water, and sanitation costs, while some were also affected by incorrect billing, estimated meter readings and inherited municipal debt.

ALSO READ: DA lays criminal complaint over CETA administrator’s R3m salary package

“The Constitutionally-enshrined right to basic education must remain non-negotiable, and the conditions that enable the success of this education must be maintained and protected,” Maile said.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, DA Shadow MEC for Education Sergio Isa Dos Santos said the department’s admission confirmed the party’s longstanding warnings that inadequate funding allocations were negatively affecting schools.

According to Dos Santos, many schools are struggling to maintain computer labs, keep electricity connected, ensure access to water and sanitation, and address health and safety risks affecting learners and staff.

“It is unacceptable that it took the department so long to realise that expecting schools to absorb escalating electricity, water, sanitation and operational costs without adequate support was absurd at best and reckless at worst,” he said.

Maile revealed that Gauteng public schools owed municipalities nearly R584 million in debt older than 60 days as of March, with the City of Johannesburg accounting for the largest share at R390.7 million. Schools also owed Eskom R6.32 million.

The MEC said municipalities across Gauteng had increasingly been accused of overcharging schools through incorrect tariffs, estimated readings, unexplained levies and the transfer of historical debt onto school accounts.

ALSO READ: CETA slammed over administrator’s R3 million salary, governance failures

He also warned that service disruptions were directly affecting teaching and learning.

“Schools without electricity cannot operate computer labs, lighting, or administrative systems, while water cuts create sanitation and health risks for learners and staff,” Maile said.

The Gauteng Department of Education said it was now reviewing the decentralisation model, which shifted responsibility for municipal payments from the department to Section 21 schools and their School Governing Bodies.

Maile said the model was originally intended to improve financial autonomy, accountability and faster decision-making at school level, but acknowledged that it had also exposed weaknesses in financial management and governance.

The DA accused the provincial government of shifting responsibility onto schools without adequate funding, support or consultation.

Dos Santos said vulnerable schools, including those serving poorer communities, had been hardest hit, forcing School Governing Bodies to focus on avoiding municipal disconnections instead of prioritising teaching and learning.

The party also criticised the administration of Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, saying government failures and poor planning were placing additional pressure on schools.

Meanwhile, the DA formally submitted a petition signed by more than 16,000 Gauteng residents to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, calling for the immediate reversal of what it described as devastating 64% budget cuts to Quintile 5 public schools.

DA Gauteng spokesperson for education Michael Waters said the petition was launched in January after the party visited schools across the province and found that reduced allocations were already affecting infrastructure maintenance, municipal payments, learner support programmes and extracurricular activities.

“School principals and governing bodies have also told us that the situation is becoming financially unsustainable, with schools overwhelmed by rising municipal costs as the Gauteng Department of Education continues to underfund schools and shift more responsibility onto parents and local communities,” Waters said.

The Gauteng Department of Education has disputed the DA’s characterisation of the Quintile 5 funding changes, saying earlier this year that the revised allocations were part of an interim funding realignment to national norms and standards, not a 64% budget cut.

ALSO READ: Gwarube: AI can’t replace basic learning

The department said at the time that it was managing a R444 million shortfall in the current financial year and a projected R160 million shortfall over the 2026 medium-term expenditure framework.

Waters described the petition as one of the largest ever handed over in Gauteng and said it reflected growing public frustration over education funding cuts.

“These cuts are not abstract numbers on a spreadsheet; they directly affect classrooms, learner safety, educational quality, and the future of children,” he said.

The DA has called for stronger cooperation between the Gauteng Department of Education, municipalities and other stakeholders to prevent schools from reaching crisis point.

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By Johnathan Paoli

The DA has opened a criminal case against Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) administrator Dithabe Oupa Nkoane over the alleged unlawful approval of his own R3 million annual salary package.

DA Deputy Spokesperson on Higher Education and Training and MP Karabo Khakhau said the party had laid charges against Nkoane on Tuesday, following allegations that he violated provisions of the Public Finance Management Act by allegedly approving a salary far above what the DA says had been prescribed by Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela.

“Nkoane was appointed by the Minister of Higher Education solely to fix what’s wrong with CETA. Instead, he brought more problems. The DA warned against his appointment and maintains that he was the wrong choice for appointment.

ALSO READ: DSAC calls for publishing hub panel members

“This scandal adds to a laundry list of reasons why SETAs must be scrapped. SETAs were designed as lucrative looting funds for ANC cadres instead of creating tangible skills development and job creation for the country’s youth,” Khakhau said.

The DA alleges that Nkoane unlawfully approved a R3 million annual package despite Manamela having prescribed a R500 000 salary package for the position at the time.

The controversy emerged during recent hearings before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, where members were told that Nkoane, appointed to stabilise the troubled SETA, had unilaterally determined and approved his own remuneration without authorisation from the department or the minister.

Parliament said CETA had approved the administrator’s proposal granting himself a provisional annual salary of R3 million, effective from 1 October 2025. Manamela later approved a reduced R2.5 million package in January 2026.

The committee further found that between October 2025 and March 2026, Nkoane was overpaid by R208 333. It said the payment constituted irregular expenditure because the Department of Higher Education and Training had not approved it at the time.

A repayment plan has since been implemented to recover the overpayment.

ALSO READ: CETA slammed over administrator’s R3 million salary, governance failures

The salary matter followed a briefing to the committee on protected disclosure allegations at CETA, including allegations of irregularities at the entity and concerns about governance and contract management.

During the committee proceedings, the department said Nkoane’s salary had been benchmarked against his most recent salary from a previous employer and the salary levels of SETA chief executives. It also said further guidance had been sought from National Treasury.

However, committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie criticised the process and questioned why remuneration had not been finalised before Nkoane assumed office.

Letsie raised concerns about dysfunction within SETAs, saying large sums were being spent on forensic investigations while the institutions continued failing in their mandate to provide skills development and support economic growth.

“Your core business is to skill and upskill the workforce of South Africa. In the context of the latest unemployment statistics, SETAs were created to help drive economic growth; this is not happening,” Letsie said.

CETA has rejected suggestions that the salary matter was handled irregularly, saying the allegations were “rather unfortunate and misinformed”.

“The Administrator’s salary issue was not handled in an irregular manner at all, but the best entity to address the issue is the Department of Higher Education,” CETA said.

It said some of the allegations were subject to investigations and legal processes, adding that Parliament had requested further clarity and that the authority would respond directly to Parliament.

The intervention at CETA followed four consecutive qualified audit outcomes and longstanding concerns about governance failures, procurement irregularities, weak oversight and instability within the authority.

Manamela appointed Nkoane as CETA administrator in August last year after consultation with the National Skills Authority. The department said at the time that the intervention followed serious and entrenched governance failures at several SETAs.

The DA criticised Nkoane’s appointment in August, when Khakhau accused Manamela of appointing politically connected individuals allegedly linked to corruption and maladministration.

At the time, the DA cited a forensic report implicating Nkoane, as former municipal manager at Emfuleni Local Municipality, in alleged mismanagement involving R872 million.

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By Lebone Rodah Mosima

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) has invited applications from suitably qualified candidates to serve on the selection panel for the DSAC Publishing Hub.

The hub, run in partnership with the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors’ Association of South Africa (ANFASA), is an industry stimulus project aimed at supporting authors and strengthening the country’s books and publishing sector.

According to the department, the initiative is intended to support new writing, preserve South Africa’s heritage and promote literature in previously marginalised official languages.

“We encourage the creation of new literature in telling our stories and preserving our heritage, and sustain the creation of significant literature including that written in the previously marginalised official languages,” the department said.

The Publishing Hub was launched in July 2023. ANFASA said the project had produced 57 works to date, consisting of 43 physical books, eight audiobooks and six books converted to braille.

“Notably, four Khoi and San books written in Khwedam, !Xuhnthali, and Nama were published to further emphasising the importance of linguistic and cultural preservation,” the association said.

“Through literature, we can further commemorate this milestone and continue to shape narratives that reflect the spirit of our nation.”

The department said selection panel members must have strong knowledge, experience and expertise in the book value chain. Candidates should also be language experts, have a solid understanding of the book industry and be published authors.

Panel members will be responsible for reviewing manuscripts, making recommendations, working with successful authors on developmental editing, and advising on industry issues including intellectual property, contracts and royalties.

Interested candidates should visit www.anfasa.org.za/dsac-selection-panel-application/ and fill in their details as well as attach the required documentation.

“Late submissions will not be considered. Selection panel members shall not be eligible to submit their manuscripts for review,” the department said.

Applications close at midnight on 12 June 2026.

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By Charmaine Ndlela

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has criticised the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) over governance failures, irregular expenditure, and the approval of a R3 million salary package for its administrator without authorisation from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) or the minister.

The committee received a briefing from CETA on protected disclosure allegations relating to irregularities at the entity, including the extension of a Vodacom internet and intranet services contract beyond its expiry date.

ALSO READ: Gwarube: AI can’t replace basic learning

The allegations were initially raised by suspended Chief Financial Officer Saneler Radebe in a disclosure to the National Treasury. According to Radebe, CETA’s 2021 contract with Vodacom for internet and intranet services was flagged by the Auditor-General and later subjected to investigation. 

He alleged that the contract was extended beyond its April 2024 expiry date based on unverified claims that Vodacom owed CETA service credits, despite repeated requests from finance officials for supporting documentation.

Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie criticised CETA administrator Oupa Nkoane for unilaterally approving his own salary package of R3 million without obtaining approval from either the department or the minister.

Members of the committee questioned the lack of clear regulations governing salaries paid to administrators and advisors appointed to stabilise struggling entities. They also requested that DHET explain the rationale behind the more annual remuneration package awarded to Nkoane.

The committee noted that while CETA was under administration, the entity approved a proposal granting the administrator a provisional annual salary of R3 million with effect from 1 October 2025. In January 2026, the minister later approved a reduced remuneration package of R2.5 million.

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Parliament heard that between October 2025 and March 2026, the administrator was overpaid by R208 333. A repayment plan has since been implemented to recover the funds over the remainder of his term.

Committee members said the payments made before ministerial approval constituted irregular expenditure. However, they also blamed the DHET for contributing to the situation through delays in responding to correspondence regarding the salary adjustment.

According to the department, the administrator’s remuneration was benchmarked against both the salary earned by the incumbent in his previous employment and the remuneration levels of SETA chief executive officers. DHET further indicated that guidance on the matter had been sought from the National Treasury.

The committee further questioned CETA’s management of ICT contracts, particularly the continuation of the Vodacom agreement after its expiry date. 

Members also expressed concern over delays in implementing recommendations contained in the R18.9 million Duja forensic report, saying the failure to act had allowed implicated officials to remain in, or be reappointed to, positions within DHET entities.

The committee also learned that one of the administrator’s advisors, Lethabo Mamabolo, travelled to Cape Town on 21 November 2025 to participate in a cycling event using CETA resources.

Letsie said the department continued to spend significant amounts on forensic investigations without ensuring that findings led to accountability.

“Your core business is to skill and upskill the workforce of South Africa. In the context of the latest unemployment statistics, SETAs were created to help drive economic growth; this is not happening,” he said.

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