Ekurhuleni East TVET College has paid R1.98 million in overdue allowances to 132 students funded by Services SETA bursaries, the Ministry of Higher Education and Training said on Sunday.
The college said the money was paid in September, after Deputy Minister Yusuf Cassim stepped in over delays with the bursaries.
“Students should not have to wait this far into the academic year to receive the full bursary benefits for which they qualify. This is a problem across the system, and we must find ways to address it,” Cassim said.
According to the ministry, the Services Sector Education and Training Authority set aside bursaries for 200 students at the college. The bursaries were worth R15.6 million in total.
The ministry said 195 students applied. After its own checks, the college sent 162 names to Services SETA and its implementing agent, SAPCO.
“The remaining 33 applicants either did not meet the bursary criteria or had not submitted all required documents,” the ministry said in a statement.
Of the 162 students, 145 met all the requirements, and their tuition fees were processed in September. The ministry said 17 more students were still being processed. The college has promised to finish their cases within seven days.
Another 30 students have not been paid their allowances because of banking or document problems. The ministry said the college finance team is working with these students and the SRC. The college aims to finish these cases by Friday, 9 October 2026.
All students funded by Services SETA have received their textbooks, the ministry said. Laptops have not yet been handed out. The college sped up the buying process and said it will deliver the laptops by mid-October.
The college gave Cassim the update during an oversight visit to its KwaThema campus on Friday. Before the visit, Cassim asked Services SETA on 3 September 2026 for a full report on how its bursaries were being handled.
“It is important that we manage these bursaries properly, so that SETAs and other entities do not withdraw funding because of our administrative challenges,” Cassim said.
The ministry said students whose documents were incomplete may send the missing papers to be assessed again. The college and Services SETA will explain the process.
The visit also dealt with slow delivery of National N-Diploma and NCV Level 4 certificates. According to the ministry, N-Diploma applications sent through TVET colleges often face long delays.
Cassim will ask the department’s National Examination and Assessment Directorate for a report on these delays. The ministry said the request will go through Sam Zungu, the Deputy Director-General for TVET colleges. It will also ask for a plan to clear the backlog.
Source: this article is based on reporting by SAnews.gov.za. Image: GCIS via SAnews.gov.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.