WeeklySA_AdminSYSTEM: Umalusi continues to encounter illegal operators who promise ‘quick’ matric certificates or shortcuts…
By Lehlohonolo Lehana
Four National Qualifications Framework (NQF) partners have joined forces to proclaim the importance of verifying qualifications amid the battle to combat fraud.
The four education stakeholders are the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and Umalusi. They held a joint media briefing in Pretoria to raise public awareness about the racket.
Umalusi CEO Dr Mafu Rakometsi warned that the prevalence of unregulated qualifications had the potential to create a fragmented education landscape in South Africa with significant implications for learners and the broader education system.
He noted that, while the majority of schools comply with legislation, Umalusi continues to encounter illegal operators who promise “quick” matric certificates or shortcuts into the National Senior Certificate (NSC) system.
“Parents and learners must understand that only institutions registered with the provincial education departments and accredited by Umalusi may offer qualifications such as the NSC and NCV [National Certificate Vocational],” Rakometsi said.
In the higher education space, CHE CEO Dr Whitfield Green also cautioned against registering at “bogus institutions” – institutions that were not accredited to offer higher education qualifications, adding that their qualifications were not registered on the Higher Education Qualification sub-framework and on the NQF.
South Africa has 26 public universities and about 145 registered private high education institutions. Unregistered private colleges operating outside this system are illegal, and their qualifications have no standing.
Green urged prospective students to verify qualifications on:
• the SAQA website (NQF registration),
• the DHET Register of Private Higher Education Institutions, and
• the CHE’s official accreditation listings.
“There is no grey area. If it is not accredited by the CHE and not registered on the NQF, it is an illegitimate qualification,” Green said.
QCTO CEO Vijayen Naidoo noted that South Africa was transitioning from outdated pre-2009 qualifications to modern, occupational qualifications that were aligned with industry needs and the demands of today’s economy.
Naidoo issued a firm warning against institutions falsely claiming to offer occupational certificates or the historic “Red Seal” trade test.
“As opportunities grow in the occupational training space, so does the number of unaccredited and bogus institutions claiming to offer QCTO certificates. Let us be clear: a QCTO qualification is only valid if it is offered by a QCTO-accredited skills development provider and assessed through a QCTO-accredited trade test or assessment centre,” he said.
Naidoo said the QCTO currently has over 900 occupational qualifications and part qualifications registered on the NQF, all developed by industry and aimed at boosting employability and productivity in key sectors, including new and emerging occupations such as renewable energy, solar photovoltaic installation, and hybrid vehicle technologies. CHE Communications Manager Ntokozo Bhengu made an appeal, highlighting the devastating effect bogus institutions have on families especially in rural areas.
“It saddens us when you find a student from a rural area whose parents had to sell livestock to pay for tuition, only to discover upon graduation that the qualification is not registered. The student has been duped and scammed, and the parents have lost money. By then, the kraal is empty. There is not a single cow left because they were trying to invest in the future of their child.
“We plead with the media to help us elevate the message and spread it across the country so that it reaches all students and parents to avoid this unnecessary pain and suffering,” Bhengu urged.
MIRROR Briefs
LAMOLA LASHES US
Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola, has issued an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the latter criticized South Africa’s domestic policies and its G20 stewardship in a Substack post.
Reaffirming South Africa’s Role in the G20, Lamola said that South Africa’s presidency emphasized equal partnership with Africa and the Global South, as well as the need to address systemic macroeconomic challenges affecting developing economies.
“It is a matter of public record that the United States chose not to attend the G20 meetings. Given that absence, the notion of South Africa’s ‘sabotaging’ consensus is not just incorrect, it misunderstands the very purpose of a forum like the G20,” said the minister.
Rubio said South Africa would not be invited to participate in G20 meetings while the US leads the forum for next year.
South Africa has not received any formal communication of exclusion and has been included in the first Sherpa meeting of the US’s G20 presidency scheduled for December 15.
“Secretary Rubio, the world is watching. It is growing weary of double standards,” Lamola wrote in an open letter to Rubio. We do not seek your approval for our path.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that Pretoria remained “a fully fledged member of the G20”.- Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ILLEGAL INITIATION
OPERATORS WARNED
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, has expressed his concern about the current initiation season following five deaths in the Eastern Cape.
“The season runs from late November through to the end of January 2026 and already, hundreds of young initiates have stepped into this sacred passage, embarking on a journey they hope will return them home transformed, grounded and prepared to carry the responsibilities of young manhood.
“Yet, despite ongoing appeals for vigilance and full compliance with the Customary Initiation Act, the Eastern Cape has already recorded five tragic deaths,“ Habisa said in a statement.
One death has been recorded in Buffalo City Municipality, two in Chris Hani District Municipality, and two in OR Tambo District Municipality.
According to the department, this served as a stark and painful reminder of the work that still lies ahead.
The Minister warned that if the early warning signs were not addressed with strong commitment and prompt action, the situation could quickly escalate into a serious crisis that may result in the loss of even more precious lives.
Hlabisa sent a clear message to all illegal operators, urging them to cease their activities immediately.
“It is commendable that the Eastern Cape has already made 21 arrests linked to illegal initiation activities.’’- SAnews
MEN URGED TO FIGHT GBV
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South African men to stand up and be counted in the national fight against gender-based violence (GBV), warning that the country faces a pandemic of violence that will continue to destroy families and communities unless men take responsibility.
He was addressing delegates at the 2025 Men’s Indaba at Lemo Green Park in Bloemfontein.“You are here because you recognise that violence against women and children is a pandemic, and a crisis that will destroy our nation if we do not stop it.’’
The Indaba coincided with the global 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign.
The President noted that the latest crime statistics showed a drop in certain serious crimes but a rise in contact sexual offences and attempted sexual offences.
“That means more women and girls, and even young boys, have been victims of sexual assault, rape and attempted rape. Every day across this country, the safety and dignity of women and children is being undermined by the actions of violent men.”
“Gender-based violence is not a problem of women. Gender-based violence is the actions of men, and about the terrible crimes they commit.” – Sanews.
BESTER TRIAL DATE SET
The trial of Convicted rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester and his co-accused, including Dr Nandipha Magudumana and her father, among others, has been postponed to July 20 next year in the Bloemfontein High Court.
Bester, Magudumana, Senohe Matsoara, Zolile Sekeleni, Teboho Liphoko, Buti Masukela, Tieho Makhotsa, Zanda Moyo, and Joel Makhetha face charges of fraud, corruption, assisting an inmate to escape, violation of a body, arson and defeating the ends of justice.
During a pre-trial hearing at the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein last week, a new trial date of 20 July 2026 was set. The trial is expected to take at least six weeks.
Bester is fighting his jail conditions while Magudumana has taken her fight for freedom to the Constitutional Court. This comes after the pair’s escape was stopped in April 2023, and were brought back to South Africa to face charges.
Bester’s lawyer, advocate MoAfrika Wa Maila, told the court that he was unable to properly consult with his client. “Instead of us being there and writing notes, we have to speak through a phone and those phones don’t even work properly,” he said.
At the time of his escape, Bester was still serving the remainder of his life sentence for rape and murder, for which he was convicted. – Lehlohonolo Lehana.
