South Africa: Higher Education Crisis Exposes a Ministry Being Recaptured

By Wayne Duvenage

Setas, meant to serve South African youth, have been hijacked by bureaucrats, cronies and politically connected networks. This must change urgently.

South Africa's Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) were meant to be engines of social mobility - a bridge between education and employment, funded by the very businesses that need skilled workers.

Instead, the system has degenerated into a playground for political patronage, reckless appointments, wasteful spending and maladministration.

What should be the backbone of our national skills revolution has become a monument to mismanagement and corruption. The ministers within the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) must bear responsibility.

A governance cycle in tatters

As we approach November 2025, just three months into his tenure, Minister of Higher Education Buti Manamela appears to be laying the groundwork for a recapture of both the Setas and NSFAS. His recent interventions and appointments point towards a continuation of the looting and decay within higher education.

The 21 Setas were required to renew their governance structures this year - with new boards and chairpersons appointed by March 2025 and new CEOs by 30 September 2025. This five-year governance cycle is supposed to ensure accountability and renewal. When managed properly, it removes weak performers and brings in fresh leadership.

Necessary ministerial changes gone awry...

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