In the media

A former acting head of the provincial education department was among 41 suspects arrested for alleged R114 million tender fraud over five years. Police arrested him at his home following investigations dating back to 2018. Several suspects across multiple provinces are expected to appear in court, including at least 10 Government officials and multiple contractors. The case involves suspected bribery, inflated tenders and irregularly awarded maintenance contracts. The education department reaffirmed a zero-tolerance stance on corruption.

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Finance Minister has started a province-wide check to remove ghost workers from the Education Department. Nonexistent or former employees, including teachers who resigned, were dismissed, or died, are still receiving pay. This problem may be costing the department about 1 billion rand (approx. 57.31 million USD) every year, calling for urgent action.

This article exposes corrupt practices in South Africa’s education system, particularly the misuse of social grants to gain university admission. Students with strong academic records are often denied entry to top universities, while others secure placements by using their grants to bribe university staff. This issue underscores the urgent need for reform and stricter oversight of grant distribution to ensure fairness and merit-based admissions.

A school in South Africa is facing allegations of corruption, with parents protesting outside the premises over claims of being asked to pay bribes to secure placements for their children. They have accused school officials of exploiting their desperation and are demanding a meeting with the Department of Basic Education to address their grievances. The situation escalated further when parents discovered that some children were being assigned to schools that have yet to be built.

A Professor from the University of Fort Hare faces accusations of failing to address plagiarism in the theses of nine postgraduate students under his supervision. A confidential report revealed that he knew about the plagiarism but only advised students to 'reduce' it. This has sparked concerns about the University's commitment to academic standards and raised questions about the quality of the supervision. Despite the findings, the professor remains employed, leading to debate.

The University of South Africa (UNISA) underwent a quality audit by the Council on Higher Education (CHE), which raised concerns about ambiguous roles between the Senate and Council, potentially infringing on academic authority. The audit highlighted governance issues, late registrations impacting student success, and communication gaps with students. UNISA has submitted an improvement plan to address these concerns and awaits feedback from the CHE.

South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education revealed concerns over rampant corruption and governance issues in universities. He hinted at potential future legal changes to bolster the system's efficiency, highlighting challenges like inexperienced governance council members and the normalization of corruption in university supply chains. While specific legislative amendments were not disclosed, the focus could include reviewing university autonomy. The department aims to establish an ombudsman and a dedicated branch to address governance problems.

False qualifications damage the South African economy in several ways: they reduce productivity, increase expenditure, damage reputation, undermine confidence in the education system and reduce tax revenues. Governments and businesses need to tackle this problem, particularly by enforcing existing restrictions, improving the quality of education and training, setting up a centralized system for verifying qualifications and applying sanctions against those offering false certificates.

The council of Stellenbosch University in South Africa has appointed a three-person committee to investigate allegations of nepotism against the vice-chancellor. A motion to remove him from office, in accordance with the university's statutes, has also been confirmed. The committee will investigate the facts underlying the motion, including allegations of nepotism and a possible breach of rules concerning the Vice-Chancellor’s discretionary placement of family members within the University.

Thousands of KwaZulu-Natal children have been forced to go to school on an empty stomach. This comes after the collapse of the KZN National School Nutrition Programme due to tender irregularities and corruption. The provincial Department of Education is yet to provide information regarding this issue.