Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Tebogo Letsie, has emphasised the urgent need for transparency, efficiency, and accountability within the Department of Higher Education and its entities, including SETA, NSFAS, and public universities.
Speaking during a social services cluster briefing on Monday, Letsie outlined a range of concerns and resolutions adopted by the committee.
The process of appointing the SETA Accounting Authority has sparked public criticism over its lack of transparency.
Letsie confirmed that while the Higher Education Minister, Nobuhle Nkabane, submitted a list of independent panel members appointed for various entities, including SETA, NSFAS, and university councils, some names remain concealed.
“The independence of the panel was questioned last week Wednesday, given that the names on the list are of the Minister’s advisers, Chief of Staff in the office of the Minister, and departmental officials,” said Letsie.
“One of the people on the list has already denied that he was ever part of the panel, which raises more questions.”
He said the committee resolved that “the Minister is legislatively obligated to furnish Parliament with the outstanding names of the panellists who were concealed on the submitted list.”
Panel members will also be asked to provide all correspondence, terms of reference, remuneration details, attendance records, and reports, he said.
“The Minister will be invited and all panellists to appear before the Portfolio Committee and account on the appointment process of the SETA Accounting Authority chairpersons,” Letsie said.
He noted that the date for this meeting is yet to be confirmed due to Parliamentary budget proceedings.
Letsie also raised concerns over the management of NSFAS, calling it a critical tool to address historical inequalities and provide access to education.
“NSFAS remains an important entity in South Africa as it redresses past injustices by ensuring that students from poor and working-class families can access education and training,” he said. “It is a key instrument to the eradication of poverty, inequality and unemployment.”
He highlighted the non-payment of private accommodation providers, many of whom are small businesses, which has resulted in electricity cuts, unpaid municipal bills, and limited services for students.
“When NSFAS has not paid accommodation providers, they can’t buy electricity, can’t pay for Wi-Fi. And therefore, the person who suffers there becomes a student,” said Letsie. “Some naughty people in this industry say that we have probably been paid by accommodation providers. I want to clarify that in the committee, there is no one who gets paid by accommodation providers.”
Letsie said since the May 7 meeting, NSFAS has begun provincial engagements, but Letsie said progress remains slow. “
We want to again ask NSFAS to expedite this process urgently because accommodation providers have not been paid from last year.”
He gave the example of one provider who lost 80 beds due to bank repossession after months of non-payment.
“By the time NSFAS pays this particular person, this person will have lost their property and their income,” he said.
Letsie criticised NSFAS for defunding students due to late submission of registration data by universities.
“NSFAS says if an institution does not give NSFAS registration data of students by a certain date, they’ve got no choice but to defund that particular student. It’s not something that we’re going to accept.”
He added that unresolved appeals continue to leave students stranded. “It’s June now. I can tell you that there are matters of appeals that have not been resolved in June. It doesn’t make sense.”
On the internationalisation of higher education, Letsie reaffirmed support for international talent but insisted that national policies must be followed.
“It’s very important that we place it on record that we’re not xenophobic, when we are saying our laws must be adhered to,” he said.
Quoting the 2019 policy framework, he noted that, “There can be no justification for any South African institution prioritising and preferring foreign nationals to South Africans who qualify equally for the same post.”
He criticised the Central University of Technology for bypassing a qualified South African woman in favour of a foreign national, and blamed the Department of Higher Education for weak oversight.
“The biggest problem we have in the department is the attitude of our leadership at the department level,” he said.
“We shall continue to hold the department, the ministry, and those institutions accountable.”
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