WeeklySA_AdminAGENCY: It has so far spent nearly R600 million in support of both TVET and CET colleges…
By Nhlanhla Mbatha
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube today turned the first sod on the site of the soon-to-be-built R80 million Agricultural Retail Hub at Ingwe TVET College in the Eastern Cape.
The hub, fully funded by the Wholesale & Retail Sector Education and Training Agency (W&RSETA), will support agricultural retail and cannabis production industries, while also providing an Information and Communication Technology (ITC) laboratory to equip TVET (Technical, Vocational and Education Training) learners with digital skills.
The college has campuses in areas such as Mount Frere, Mount Fletcher, Maluti, Sito (Bizana), and Lusikisiki (Ngqungqushe).
Cannabis, also known as dagga, is a plant that contains psychoactive compounds, particularly THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).
Speaking at the sod-turning ceremony, Dub-Ncube said cannabis was used for various purposes, including recreational, medicinal and industrial.
“Our country has de-criminalised the use of and there are laws that govern its use. There are benefits in the use of cannabis such as the alleviation of certain medical conditions like chronic pains, nausea and anxiety. “For industrial use, hemp – a variety of cannabis – is used to produce textiles, paper and other products,” Dube-Ncube said.
Before the ceremony, Dube-Ncube and Mkhwanazi held a briefing of a local delegation comprising Ntabankulu mayor Tsileng Sobuthongo, Alfred Nzo district mayor Vukile Mhlelembana, local chiefs, and the TVET management led by Siphelele Gavu.
W&RSETA chief executive officer Tom Mkhwanazi said the agency, as it marked 25 years of existence, “when we made this budget, we were forward thinking”.
“We have since partially dedicated the year 2025 to showcase our skills development projects. We are proud to have executed programmes that have changed the lives of South Africans, particularly black Africans and women, for the better,” Mkhwanazi said.
He said for the past five financial years, the agency has spent more than R70 million for the construction and improvement of ICT facilities within institutions of higher learning throughout the country.
“We have over 51 ICT computer labs established across 9 CET (community education and training) colleges in the country,” he said.
Mkhwanazi also added that, during the peak of energy loadshedding, an investment of R 71 million for solar energy equipment was made available to 11 TVET Colleges by the agency towards ensuring that learning and teaching was not interrupted when electricity was not supplied.
“Each institution was allocated R 6.5 million,” he said, adding that the most notable infrastructure investment at TVET colleges done by the W&RSETA has been the investment of R146 million for the construction of the skills development centre at the Sekhukhune TVET College, which was officially opened last year.
Mkhwanazi said W&RSETA had so far spent nearly R600 million in support of both TVET and CET colleges.
PROJECTS FUNDED BY W&RSETA
· Construction of skills development centre at Free State CET college in Reitz to the tune of R100m;
· South Cape TVET College in George in construction of new learning centre for R25m;
· West Coast TVET College R10m for the construction of a confectionary bakery;
· Letaba TVET College and Limpopo CET College for modern teaching and learning facilities to the tune of R17; and
· R80m for the KwaZulu-Natal CET College’s skills development centre.
