Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela told Parliament that repeated audit failures in the post-school education sector can no longer go without consequences.
He spoke to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training as it looked at the department’s 2025/26 Annual Report, according to SAnews.
“Corrective action must begin when weaknesses are identified, not when the next audit approaches. Where management has repeatedly been informed and agreed actions remain unimplemented, we must establish responsibility for that failure,” Manamela said.
The minister said the department must do more than accept the findings of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). He said it must show that problems are actually being fixed.
He said that repeated findings, promised fixes and weak follow-through had raised basic questions about accountability across the sector.
“For the public, the question is straightforward: what will change because these matters have been brought before Parliament? A student waiting for an allowance, a graduate waiting for a certificate and a community waiting for a functioning college need more than another explanation,” Manamela said.
“They need institutions that fulfil their responsibilities. That is the standard against which we must be judged,” he added.
Manamela said there had been some gains in how the department reports on its performance. He also said audit results at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges had improved slightly.
But he said this progress did not make up for weaker results and ongoing control problems in other parts of the sector.
According to the minister, issues Parliament raised before are still being watched. These include staff vacancies, information systems, certificates, proof of performance and action against those who fail.
Manamela said he had taken note of the AGSA recommendations aimed at him. They call for closer oversight of top management, clearer direction on reforms and more scrutiny of governance and appointments. They also ask for skills funding to be protected and for more focus on learner results.
He said he and the deputy ministers would decide on urgent fixes and longer reforms, and then oversee how they are carried out.
The minister said accountability would reach the department’s leaders, boards, councils, administrators and chief executives. He said it would also cover decisions made by the Ministry itself.
“Accountability cannot apply only to people below us,” he said.
Manamela singled out the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA). He said a body under administration should show stronger governance, not a different standard of accountability.
He said he would ask for a clear report on how forensic recommendations at CETA are being carried out. He also wants a response, backed by evidence, on concerns about disciplinary processes, procurement and possible conflicts of interest.
The minister said he had also heard concerns about Northern Cape Urban TVET College. He said he needed an urgent account of work already done there and of the further independent probe that is needed.
“Where forensic investigation is warranted, it must proceed without avoidable delay. Learners, records, and public resources must be protected while these matters are addressed,” Manamela said.
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.