Parliament, Wednesday, 5 August 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education has called on the Department of Higher Education and Training to develop a long-term plan to fill vacancies in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to avoid leadership void caused by recruitment delays.
Reacting to reports that of over 100 vacant positions at the Nkangala TVET College, which include senior management positions which are occupied in acting capacity, the committee said the recruitment system which took too long to fill vacancies must be urgently addressed.
“This situation of taking too long to fill posts is a system problem, we should plan early for positions that will be vacant as a result of retirement or early retirement, unlike death, which is unplanned, this issue of the system that doesn’t assist us must be addressed,” said committee Chairperson Mr Tebogo Letsie.
The committee has given the department three months to submit a comprehensive report on how it was going to address the problem, provide a breakdown of people who will retire in the next three years and put a plan on what will happen.
During an oversight visit to the Nkangala TVET College in Emalahleni, members of the committee questioned the idea of waiting until the last day or to advertise the position long after it has been vacated.
Another challenge at the college which is reportedly because of a backward system is the challenge of certification backlog with over 1 400 certificates delayed. The committee heard from college management and department officials that this delay was when students pass through multiple exams (failing and repeating) and must apply for combination of results because the system was not able to consolidate the results automatically.
The committee has resolved to meet with the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies, State Information Technology Agency, Umalusi together with the Department of Higher Education to address this issue of this system weakness.
On challenges of student accommodation shortage which has resulted in some students staying in unsafe and unaccredited accommodation, the committee has advised the college to apply for funding from the Student Housing Infrastructure Programme (SHIP) and consider public private partnerships with the private sector to build safe standard accommodation in land owned by the institution.
It was not all doom and gloom though, the committee was impressed with Nkangala TVET College programmes of coding and robotics and members interacted with students at the 4IR lab and Top of the World Trade Training Centre.
The committee believes that coding and robotics are skills of the future and encouraged the college to increase the number of students in these programmes.
The committee conducts oversight to Ehlanzeni TVET College in Mbombela today.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION, MR TEBOGO LETSIE.
For media enquiries or interviews with the committee Chairperson, please contact:
Name: Sakhile Mokoena
Cell: 081 705 2130
E-mail: smokoena@parliament.gov.za
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