By Lebone Rodah Mosima

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education said on Sunday it could not currently approve applications under the Incentivised Early Retirement Programme and Voluntary Exit Programme because it lacked the financial capacity to absorb related costs from its existing baseline budget.

The department said it acknowledged cabinet’s decision to introduce the Incentivised Early Retirement Programme without penalisation of pension benefits, as well as the Voluntary Exit Programme, for public service employees. The decision was approved at a special cabinet meeting on 10 April 2024.

ALSO READ: WorldSkills conference opens as government warns of skills gap threat

The Department of Public Service and Administration issued a formal determination in October 2025 setting out the framework and procedures for implementing the programmes across government departments. The determination provided for financial incentives to qualifying employees, with certain costs, including the waiving of pension penalties and incentive payments, funded by National Treasury.

However, other associated costs, including pro-rata service bonus payments, capped leave, unused annual leave and resettlement expenses where applicable, had to be funded from the baseline budgets of individual departments.

“Given the current fiscal constraints faced by the department, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education regrettably does not have the financial capacity at this stage to absorb the additional costs that must be funded from its existing baseline budget,” the department said.

It said approval of applications under the programmes was not automatic and that departments were required to assess applications against specific criteria, “including ensuring that service delivery is not negatively affected, that critical skills are not lost, and that the financial implications remain sustainable within departmental budgets”.

ALSO READ: Vodacom invests R2m in Daveyton special needs school

It said that while employees retained the right to apply, it was “presently unable to approve applications under the current phase, particularly in circumstances where the departure of employees may create service delivery gaps that cannot immediately be addressed”.

The department said its position did not oppose or undermine cabinet’s decision or the DPSA determination, but reflected “a responsible and transparent approach” to communicating its financial and operational realities while remaining aligned with national policy directives.

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A 62-year-old Eastern Cape school principal has been summoned to court by the Hawks on allegations of fraud and perjury linked to a Road Accident Fund (RAF) claim worth about R2.9 million.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) confirmed that the summons was served on Thursday by the Mthatha-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit. The suspect is expected to appear before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 25 March.

In a statement released on Friday, the Hawks said the principal faces charges linked to allegedly contradictory claims submitted after a motor vehicle accident in 2017.

ALSO READ: UFS study: Sanitary pads are safe and won’t be withdrawn from shelves, says Motsoaledi

The government, scientists and researchers have allayed fears over endocrine-disrupting chemicals in sanitary pads, saying there was no evidence from research conducted over more than a century to suggest they caused any harm to humans.

At a high-level joint press conference on Sunday, spearheaded by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, who was joined by other agencies such as the World Health Organisation, the message from representatives was that production of the pads would continue and they would not be withdrawn from shelves.

The issue came into the spotlight after a University of the Free State (UFS) study found the presence of EDCs in several brands of pads and pantyliners that were sold in the country. That prompted an investigation by the National Consumer Commission.

ALSO READ: Letsike urges tourism sector to turn women’s inclusion into economic power

Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Mmapaseka Steve Letsike used a tourism dialogue marking International Women’s Day to call for stronger policies, investment and structural support to expand women’s economic opportunities in South Africa’s tourism sector.

Speaking at the Women in Tourism Dialogue on Saturday, ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday, Letsike said the conversation should not focus only on celebrating progress, but also on widening women’s participation and ownership in the economy.

The event was held under the banner of women in tourism.

Letsike said women make up more than half of the global tourism workforce, citing research by UN Tourism and UN Women. UN Tourism says women account for 54% of tourism employment worldwide, a higher share than in the broader economy, but are still concentrated in lower-skilled, lower-paid and often informal work.

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y Thapelo Molefe

Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Nomusa Dube-Ncube says South Africa must urgently strengthen its artisan and vocational skills pipeline to support infrastructure development and economic growth, as the country pushes to produce 30,000 artisans annually by 2030.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the WorldSkills South Africa Competition, Conference and Career Festival at the Durban International Convention Centre on Sunday, Dube-Ncube said the country’s economic ambitions depend on building a stronger technical and vocational workforce.

“Every year we hear about our country investing trillions and billions of rands in infrastructure development,” she said. 

“The question that we have been asking ourselves is, who is going to roll out this infrastructure development if we do not have the skills that will roll out that infrastructure development?”

The national competition brings together more than 230 finalists who will compete across 27 technical and vocational skills categories. They were selected from over 1,500 applicants who entered the competition process, which s that began in 2024.

About 33 competitors will be chosen from the event to represent South Africa at the WorldSkills International Competition 2026 scheduled to take place in Shanghai, China later this year.

Dube-Ncube said the competitors would carry the hopes of the country onto the global stage.

“Many of them will be carrying not just tools and technical expertise, but the aspirations of our nation and the belief in the transformation of our skills system,” she said.

To improve South Africa’s performance at the international competition, the department plans to prepare the national team through international partnerships and additional training platforms.

“We are planning to use our bilateral relations with Austria, Germany and China as training and competition grounds for these young people before the September competitions,” Dube-Ncube said.

She also announced additional psychosocial support for competitors during the national event through Higher Health.

“I have spoken to the CEO of Higher Health to make sure that we have a team present here during the competition so that we provide psychosocial support to the competitors,” she said.

The deputy minister said skills competitions play an important role in improving training standards and strengthening collaboration between industry and the post school education and training system.

“This journey reflects our outcomes as the Department of Higher Education and Training in building a high quality, responsive and effective skills development system that strengthens pathways into employment and economic growth,” she said.

She also urged stronger cooperation between government, training institutions and industry, stressing that skills training must be aligned with labour market needs.

“We cannot teach in a vacuum. Whatever we teach in the classroom has to be driven by industry,” she said. 

“We must ask ourselves who we are teaching, what we are teaching for, and why we are teaching.”

Dube-Ncube said government would continue expanding artisan training opportunities and workplace learning programmes through partnerships with employers, training institutions and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).

The deputy minister also welcomed the participation of learners from technical high schools, noting that two competitors from a technical school in Umlazi were taking part in the competition for the first time.

Addressing the competitors, she urged them to represent the country with pride.

“You carry not just your own aspirations. You carry the aspirations of this country and of other young people who did not have the opportunity that you have today,” she said.

Dube-Ncube officially declared the 2026 national competition open, saying the event represents a broader national effort to modernise skills development and build a workforce capable of supporting South Africa’s future growth.

“Through WorldSkills South Africa we are advancing a national movement to modernise skills development and build the citizens who will construct South Africa’s future,” she said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Simon Nare

The government, scientists and researchers have allayed fears over endocrine-disrupting chemicals in sanitary pads, saying there was no evidence from research conducted over more than a century to suggest they caused any harm to humans.

At a high-level joint press conference on Sunday, spearheaded by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, who was joined by other agencies such as the World Health Organisation, the message from representatives was that production of the pads would continue and they would not be withdrawn from shelves.

The issue came into the spotlight after a University of the Free State (UFS) study found the presence of EDCs in several brands of pads and pantyliners that were sold in the country. That prompted an investigation by the National Consumer Commission.

The UFS research flagged the presence of EDC groups, including parabens, phthalates and bisphenols, which have been linked to reproductive and hormonal effects and have raised concerns about long-term exposure.

Motsoaledi said the chemicals in the pads caused no harm and that, contrary to popular belief, men were more exposed to them than women, due to occupational exposure.

The minister said the chemicals had been known for over a century and that studies had been done to determine whether there was any harm to humans, but nothing had been found to suggest this was the case.

“Since the chemicals have been known globally for many years, the World Health Organisation has been looking for any evidence of harm over the years but to date, never found any harm from these products.

“The University of the Free State itself has mentioned that the study was not designed to establish a direct causal relationship between the detected chemicals and disease in women,” said Motsoaledi.

He added that the research, findings and their publication were not intended to constitute medical advice, a consumer directive or product usage recommendations, but rather to study peer-reviewed scientific data and identify areas that needed further research.

The minister said research had shown that investigations into the effect of the chemicals on the human body indicated very low risk and that they had been exempted by consumer agencies.

Motsoaledi said that in 2017, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority took part in an international study, and one of its guiding principles was that any product had to be put to the test.

“Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals are natural or humane-made products that had the potential to interfere with the action of hormones, especially reproductive and thyroid hormones if the quantities exceed the permissible concentration levels.

“Hormones, on the other hand, are the body’s chemical messengers, produced by the endocrine gland and released into the bloodstream to regulate vital physical processes. They control metabolism, growth, reproduction, mood, and sleep-wake cycles,” said Motsoaledi

He added that scientific research had revealed that EDCs were capable of disrupting important bodily processes, and that permissible concentration levels in a product were determined by the cosmetic ingredients expert panel, whose decisions were used by relevant regulatory bodies.

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By Michael Johan von Maltitz

It’s getting tougher to assess how much university students have learnt. In his work as a Mathematical Statistics lecturer, Michael von Maltitz has tried a new way of getting students to learn, and of assessing what they’ve absorbed and retained. Students have to show and discuss how they arrived at their understanding of the subject. They can’t just rely on cramming, because he interviews them as if they were applying for a job.

What prompted you to try something new?

“We understand, but how will it be asked in the test?” This is the question that was posed to me time and again in 2019 when I started lecturing a module in mathematical statistics at second-year university level.

I knew I had to make a change. I already understood that students were stressed, prone to memorising content and cramming before tests and examinations, and using short cuts to attain a good grade, rather than to learn anything.

What did you then do differently?

The module was unfamiliar to me so I decided to allow the students to approach the course content in the same way as I was: gathering information from different sources and combining and collating it digitally, reflecting on how it helped to meet certain objectives or learning outcomes.

These portfolios of learning evidence would contain course and outcome information, content knowledge (including theorems and proofs), examples with solutions, showpiece assignments, links to and discussions on online tutorials or videos, and paragraphs of self-reflection. Readers might see these portfolios as “study notes on steroids”.

Assessing the portfolio would be an exercise in evaluating the learning process, rather than a memorised product.

The process was challenging but offered a reward for me and my students – that of discovery. Students seemed to be genuinely learning.

Besides checking their portfolios, I needed a way to assess progress that didn’t fall into the old habits of memorisation and “teaching to the test”. I needed to ensure that a student had created their own portfolio and could defend the content in it. And I needed an assessment method that would not take more time and effort than coming up with a unique written test or examination, formulating a typeset memorandum, and marking more than 100 answer scripts, giving feedback that the students might never look at.

I decided to test this form of deep learning using a workplace method – the interview. In a 30-minute online interview with each student, I asked questions about their understanding of the module content, as well as questions concerning their own portfolios. Each student had to defend the information collected and reflected upon.

The interview worked perfectly when paired with the portfolio. I assessed a set of portfolios in an evening, gave typed feedback, and then interviewed those portfolios’ creators the next day. Feedback was immediate, and the interview assessment became a learning experience, for me and the student.

They were able to defend their portfolios if I made any errors on the portfolio assessment, and I could give the correct answer immediately to any interview question they were stumped by.

Afterwards, the recording of the interview could be given to the student, and if they felt I was being unfair at all, they could compare their interview with another student’s. In doing so, the students themselves could moderate my assessment practice.

What results did you observe?

After a year or two of teaching and assessing like this, I noticed my students seemed to understand more of the content. They retained more into their final year, they were fluent in “statistics” communication and they had better time management and self-reflection skills.

Students told me that they were asked the same questions in their first job interviews as I had asked in my modules, and that they felt much more at ease in those first few job interviews.

How did you confirm these results?

To formally test the developments I had noticed in my students, I conducted research on the class in 2022, which was published in conference proceedings and an article.

This study showed that students experienced significant learning in every facet of an educational framework known as Fink’s taxonomy:

• foundational knowledge
• application and communication
• integration of content into other areas
• self-reflection
• interest
• learning how to learn.

Thus, the method of learning and assessment could formally be called a success within Statistics.

Can this approach be used in other courses?

Yes. One might argue that if this method can be employed for a mathematical module, it can be utilised anywhere. Mathematical modules contain theorems, proofs, definitions, theoretical and practical problem solving – items that might seem difficult to assess through verbal communication. But it is the understanding of the ideas behind the theorems, the stories of and the tricks used within the proofs, the application of the theoretical problems, that are so important in an age where your favourite AI can provide content knowledge.

Mathematical proofs and worked calculations, both of which take time in practice, can be assessed by looking at a portfolio containing these items with the student’s annotations and reflections. The understandings of these concepts are assessed in the interview.

Likewise, in other subjects, a portfolio could be used for assessing knowledge-based content, while the interview could be used to gauge a student’s understanding of what was put into the portfolio, why they chose that content, why the content is important, and how that content is used in practice.

Michael Johan von Maltitz is Associate Professor, Mathematical Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of the Free State. This article was first published by The Conversation.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lebone Rodah Mosima

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela on Saturday urged university alumni bodies to stop fuelling division and instead help strengthen governance, as the government prepares changes to the post-school education system.

Speaking at Sol Plaatje University in the Northern Cape at the annual general meeting of the Association of University Convocations, Manamela said some convocations, which represent university graduates and alumni, had become associated with conflict and instability within institutions.

“This is not the role convocations were meant to play,” Manamela said.

“Universities require stable and ethical governance environments.”

He said universities should remain focused on knowledge production, research, innovation and learning, and that alumni structures should support rather than undermine that mission.

He told alumni attending the event that their responsibility to their institutions did not end at graduation, describing them as former student leaders who had helped shape campus life and the intellectual culture of their universities.

“Your role now is to carry forward that legacy. To ensure that your institutions remain strong for future generations,” he said.

“To help them adapt to new realities, to become the source of intellect and hope that demonstrates these institutions have produced individuals worthy of representing their legacy.”

Manamela said the debate was especially important as the government re-engineers the post-school education and training system.

He said the DHET was examining the size, shape and future direction of the sector, assessing its potential and putting in place plans to ensure institutions can meet the country’s needs.

“South Africa faces major challenges — unemployment, inequality, technological disruption, and rapid global economic change,” he said.

“Our universities must be capable of responding to these realities. They must produce graduates who can thrive in a changing world.”

He said universities should deepen research into developmental challenges while strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship.

Manamela said his department was working intensively to finalise legislative amendments aimed at keeping the system responsive to changing conditions, improving governance and accountability, and protecting institutional autonomy while maintaining public trust.

“But we must also confront the new realities of the digital age, technological transformation, and shifting global dynamics,” he said.

“Our higher education system must remain stable, responsive, and future-oriented. In this process, the voices of graduates and alumni are critical.”

Graduates and alumni should contribute ideas on governance, funding, innovation and graduate employability, while also participating in mentorship programmes, industry partnerships and community engagement.

Manamela added that graduates had a broader civic duty to help build a democratic society, uphold the values underpinning constitutional democracy, take part in public life and provide intellectual leadership.

“Many of the national debates taking place in our country today require deeper intellectual engagement and rigorous thought,” he said.

“Universities produce graduates capable of contributing to these debates, and convocations must become spaces of intellectual energy.”

He said convocations should also serve as platforms for mentorship, philanthropy, thought leadership and institutional support, and that the sector needed to examine its challenges honestly while remaining committed to improvement.

“That spirit should guide the role of graduates and convocants in our universities and in our society,” he stated.

He said that if convocations embraced that responsibility, they could become one of the higher education system’s greatest strengths by reinforcing universities, supporting students and shaping the intellectual life of South Africa’s democracy.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lebone Rodah Mosima

Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Mmapaseka Steve Letsike used a tourism dialogue marking International Women’s Day to call for stronger policies, investment and structural support to expand women’s economic opportunities in South Africa’s tourism sector.

Speaking at the Women in Tourism Dialogue on Saturday, ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday, Letsike said the conversation should not focus only on celebrating progress, but also on widening women’s participation and ownership in the economy.

The event was held under the banner of women in tourism.

Letsike said women make up more than half of the global tourism workforce, citing research by UN Tourism and UN Women. UN Tourism says women account for 54% of tourism employment worldwide, a higher share than in the broader economy, but are still concentrated in lower-skilled, lower-paid and often informal work.

However, Letsike said women’s participation in tourism often remains at the lower levels of the value chain, including service roles, informal work and small-scale enterprises that struggle to grow.

“This tells us something profound,” Letsike said.

“The tourism sector already contains the seeds of gender-inclusive economic transformation, but these seeds require deliberate policies, investments, and structural support to flourish.”

Letsike highlighted persistent barriers facing women entrepreneurs in tourism, including limited access to finance, difficulties navigating regulatory environments, and unequal opportunities in supply chains and procurement.

The Tourism Transformation Fund, she said, was established to support black-owned enterprises, including many women-led businesses, with capital and market access. The Tourism Incentive Programme, meanwhile, offers support in areas including market access, energy efficiency and product development.

“The National Tourism Sector Strategy emphasises transformation and inclusive participation, recognising that the long-term sustainability of tourism depends on ensuring that historically marginalised communities become owners and leaders within the sector,” Letsike explained.

“But we must also acknowledge that transformation cannot be achieved by government alone, as the tourism economy is an ecosystem involving society as a whole.”

She said that ecosystem included private sector partners shaping supply chains and investment flows, financial institutions determining access to capital, municipalities managing local infrastructure and spatial planning, and communities providing the cultural and social foundation on which tourism depends.

Letsike added that women entrepreneurs often reinvest a larger share of their income into households and communities, with research from various countries showing increased control over income as well as stronger investment in education, health and community wellbeing.

“In other words, empowering women in tourism has a multiplier effect across society,” she said.

“It strengthens families. It improves community wellbeing. It stimulates local economies.”

While stressing the importance of inclusivity in tourism transformation, Letsike said some groups remained the most excluded, particularly young women, persons with disabilities and people living in rural areas.

She reaffirmed that her department viewed economic inclusion as a constitutional imperative, not charity, but a strategy. Official government records identify her office as the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.

“If we are to unlock the full economic potential of tourism, we must recognise women not just as participants but as leaders, innovators, and owners of the tourism economy,” she added.

“When women stand at the centre of that economy—as entrepreneurs, leaders, and innovators—tourism becomes not only a source of national pride but also a driver of inclusive growth.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lebone Rodah Mosima

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) says it is fast-tracking long-delayed plans for a new university in Ekurhuleni, reviving a project first announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020 and aimed at giving the country’s only metro without a university its own institution.

In a joint statement issued after a meeting in Pretoria this week, DHET Minister Buti Manamela and Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor Alderman Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said they had discussed progress toward establishing a university in the city.

The project was originally announced by Ramaphosa in his 2020 State of the Nation Address, when he said government had decided to establish a University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni to expand access to higher education.

Manamela said the project would strengthen the post-school education and training system and help equip young people with the skills needed to participate meaningfully in the economy, according to the department’s statement.

“The meeting was constructive and focused on the commitments made by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the 2020 State of the Nation Address, in which the government announced plans to expand access to higher education through the creation of new universities in underserved areas, including Ekurhuleni Metro,” the DHET said.

“These commitments were subsequently reinforced through budget announcements the same year, signaling the government’s intent to broaden the post-school education and training system and bring higher education opportunities closer to communities.”

The department said Xhakaza had appealed for the resumption of the university project, with an emphasis on science, technology and innovation, saying that Ekurhuleni’s position as a major industrial and economic hub made it a suitable host for such an institution.

“Minister Manamela welcomed the Mayor’s intervention and reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to fast-track and advance the project,” the department said.

“The Minister committed that the Department will revive the project and appoint a project steering committee led by an executive-level project leader to guide the next phase of work and ensure that the necessary institutional processes are put in place.”

The department said earlier phases of the project had already been completed and that the new steering committee would assess work done so far and determine how best to proceed.

It added that the committee would explore infrastructure options, including the possible use of existing facilities and the development of a multi-purpose campus model across the metro.

The department said such an approach could allow the institution to serve different parts of Ekurhuleni while aligning academic programmes with the city’s industrial and economic profile.

Xhakaza said he welcomed the outcome of the meeting and viewed it as a significant step forward for the city.

“This reflects the great strides we have made toward establishing a University of Ekurhuleni that will serve our people and shape the future of our city,” Xhakaza said.

Manamela thanked the mayor for his intervention and linked the effort to government’s current higher education expansion agenda.

“This project aligns with the President’s directive that, together with the Minister of Finance, we must build more universities and TVET colleges, with a strong focus on developing the skills required to drive economic growth,” Manamela said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

A 62-year-old Eastern Cape school principal has been summoned to court by the Hawks on allegations of fraud and perjury linked to a Road Accident Fund (RAF) claim worth about R2.9 million.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) confirmed that the summons was served on Thursday by the Mthatha based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit. The suspect is expected to appear before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 25 March.

In a statement released on Friday, the Hawks said the principal faces charges linked to allegedly contradictory claims submitted after a motor vehicle accident in 2017.

“A 62 year-old school principal has been served with summons by the Mthatha based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation of the Hawks… facing allegations of fraud and perjury,” the unit said.

The case stems from a complaint lodged by the RAF after officials detected irregularities in compensation claims related to a crash that reportedly occurred on 2 July 2017 on the N2 near the Colosa Administrative Area in Dutywa.

According to investigators, the accident involved a Volkswagen Polo allegedly driven by the principal and a Toyota Verso driven by another motorist.

Police officers who attended the scene compiled an official accident report indicating that the principal had been driving the Polo and had sustained injuries during the collision. Medical documentation reportedly supported this version.

Investigators said the principal initially instructed a law firm in December 2017 to submit a claim to the RAF stating she had been the driver in the accident.

“The claim sought compensation amounting to approximately R2.9 million,” the Hawks said.

However, authorities allege the principal later terminated the mandate with the first legal representatives and appointed another law firm to lodge a second claim with the RAF.

“In this second submission, the culprit allegedly advanced a contradictory narrative… indicating that she had been a passenger at the time of the accident,” the Hawks said. 

The second claim reportedly sought more than R1.4 million.

The investigation also found that the suspect submitted a separate claim to Old Mutual iWYZE vehicle insurance for damage to the Volkswagen Polo, declaring that she had been the driver.

“The mutually inconsistent declarations made across different institutional platforms and under oath raised serious concerns regarding the veracity of the representations made by the accused,” the Hawks said.

The RAF subsequently rejected the claim and referred the matter to the Hawks for investigation.

According to investigators, evidence gathered suggests the suspect may have deliberately misrepresented facts in an attempt to obtain financial benefit.

“The suspect deliberately misrepresented facts in an attempt to secure undue financial benefit from both the Road Accident Fund and the vehicle insurer,” the Hawks said.

Authorities estimate the RAF could have suffered potential losses of about R2.9 million had the claim succeeded.

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