WeeklySA_AdminSCRUTINY: Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has ordered an urgent governance assessment of MICT SETA following leadership turmoil, saying the review will determine whether further intervention is needed…
By Own Correspondent
The Department of Higher Education and Training has referred governance and leadership concerns at the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) to the National Skills Authority (NSA) for an urgent assessment.
Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela ordered the review following recent developments involving the SETA’s Accounting Authority and executive management, including the resignation of several senior executives.
The National Skills Authority has been tasked with conducting a rapid governance assessment to establish the facts, evaluate governance processes and recommend any interventions needed to safeguard institutional stability, service delivery and good governance.
The department said the review was necessary, given MICT SETA’s strategic role in South Africa’s post-school education and training system.
The entity is no stranger to administrative strain, having previously faced scrutiny and investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) over past corruption and governance scandals.
The SETA, appearing before the committee to present a report on its governance and financial performance, drew scrutiny over governance efficiencies and faced demands for urgent clarity on how it was implementing the report’s recommendations and ensuring financial accountability.
In this week’s announcement, the department said: “The Minister has referred the matter to the National Skills Authority to conduct a rapid governance assessment and advise on a way-forward. The assessment will establish the relevant facts, evaluate governance processes and identify any interventions necessary to safeguard institutional stability, service delivery and good governance”.
The NSA has been instructed to engage all relevant stakeholders, provide an interim briefing on urgent matters and submit a comprehensive report with recommendations within the prescribed time-frame.
The department said the assessment formed part of the government’s broader drive to strengthen governance, accountability and institutional effectiveness across all Sector Education and Training Authorities as it advances the implementation of the Skills Revolution.
“The objective is to ensure that every SETA remains focused on its core mandate of developing the skills required for inclusive economic growth, industrialisation and employment creation,” the department said.
Manamela stressed that the referral should not be interpreted as a finding against any individual or institution. Instead, he said, it reflected the government’s commitment to resolving governance concerns through “transparent, fair and evidence-based processes”.
The department added that it would not speculate on matters under assessment and would consider the National Skills Authority’s recommendations before deciding whether any further action is required.
It also assured stakeholders that MICT SETA’s operations, including support for learners, employers and skills development programmes, would continue uninterrupted while the assessment is under way.
The previous primary probe into the MICT SETA was a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in September 2018.
Core details of the investigation were the SIU probe focused specifically on maladministration and corruption related to irregular discretionary grant allocations made between 2014 and 2018.
The investigation followed the March 2018 precautionary suspension—and subsequent November 2018 dismissal—of the then-CEO, Oupa Mopaki. He was found to have funnelled millions in tenders to business associates and entities in which he held undeclared interests.
In March last year, the final SIU report and its recommendations regarding these specific grant allocations were formally presented before Parliament’s Higher Education Portfolio Committee. The hearing highlighted boardroom dysfunction and forced the entity to pursue disciplinary steps and open criminal cases against implicated former employees.
