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By Johnathan Paoli
The Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) is on a path to recovery following the appointment of Oupa Dithaba Nkoane as its new administrator.
Speaking to Insight Education, Nkoane said his immediate priority is to restore stability, integrity, and operational efficiency to an organisation long plagued by governance challenges and allegations of mismanagement.
“Our first step is to fill key vacancies, including the CEO position, which will be advertised soon. Leadership stability is essential for restoring confidence and operational efficiency,” he said.
CETA, which oversees skills development in South Africa’s construction sector, has faced persistent criticism over financial mismanagement, irregular expenditure, and lapses in governance related to discretionary grants.
The organisation’s repeated qualifications by the Auditor-General have underscored systemic weaknesses that Nkoane says must be urgently addressed.
An urban development and governance professional with over 20 years of experience, Nkoane brings a background in town and regional planning, municipal management, and large-scale project facilitation.
He has held senior positions in several municipalities, including head of city planning and housing projects, and served as project director for major urban development programmes.
“CETA has chronic governance and organisational issues. My job immediately is to create an organisation that works, performs its core mandate, and is compliance-driven. Governance is priority number one,” he said.
Critical steps will include filling key leadership roles such as CFO and company secretary, re-engineering business processes, and establishing accountability systems that promote transparency and compliance.
Nkoane also emphasised aligning CETA’s skills development programmes with South Africa’s infrastructure priorities.
“We need to create pipelines of skills development that match national capital projects. Our focus will be on high-impact interventions—mainstreaming artisans, identifying and training learnerships, and integrating them into large-scale construction projects,” he said.
By doing so, he hopes to produce a workforce that is not only skilled but ready to contribute directly to economic growth and job creation.
On controversial matters, including previous procurement decisions and the purchase of CETA’s head office building, Nkoane said all flagged issues will be investigated in line with legal and regulatory processes.
“Where irregularities are identified, consequence management will follow. It is essential that CETA operates transparently and responsibly,” he said.
Despite calls from some quarters to scrap the organisation, Nkoane insisted that South Africa cannot do without a dedicated body to oversee construction-sector skills development.
“By stabilising CETA and demonstrating its strategic importance, we ensure it continues to play a vital role in the built environment value chain,” he said.
Nkoane maintains that his experience will be vital in turning CETA around, emphasising that stabilising the organisation and implementing governance reforms will ensure CETA delivers measurable, high-impact results for the country’s construction sector.
Where irregularities are identified, consequence management will follow, says Oupa Dithaba Nkoane, CETA Administrator. PHOTO: Eddie Mtsweni
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