Parliament, Thursday, 14 May 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training is shocked by revelations that the administrator appointed to address governance and administrative challenges at the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) unilaterally determined and approved his own salary package of R3 million, without authorisation from the Department of Higher Education (DHET) or the Minister.
The committee received a briefing from CETA regarding the protected disclosure allegations of irregularities at the entity, including the Vodacom internet contract, which continued beyond its expiry date.
Various committee members were concerned that salaries paid to administrators and their advisors to stabilise struggling entities are not clearly regulated. They asked the DHET to explain the rationale behind the over R2.5 million per annum renumeration of CETA administrator Mr Oupa Nkoane.
The committee noted that, while under administration, CETA had approved the administrator’s proposal granting himself a provisional annual salary of R3 million, effective 1 October 2025. Subsequently, in January 2026, the Minister approved a reduced package of R2.5 million. The committee further observed that between October 2025 and March 2026, the administrator was overpaid by R208,333. However, a repayment plan has now been implemented to recover the overpayment, with the committee noting that the recovery will be affected over the remainder of the administrator’s term of office.
The committee also expressed its dissatisfaction with CETA management’s decision to pay R3 million to the administrator without obtaining approval for a salary increase from the DHET, noting that the department had not responded to the request for adjustment. According to the DHET, the administrator’s salary was benchmarked against both the incumbent’s most recent salary from a previous employer and the salary levels of SETA CEOs. DHET indicated that further guidance on the matter had been sought from National Treasury.
The committee said the salary paid between October 2025 and March 2026 constituted irregular expenditure, as DHET had not approved it. Members also said the department’s non-responsiveness to the CETA letter about the salary increase contributed to the debacle. The department’s prolonged delays, coupled with the Minister’s slow response in determining the administrator’s salary package and the non-payment of his salary constitute a clear injustice.
The committee also questioned CETA on ICT contract management, including the continuation of the Vodacom contract beyond its expiry date. The committee also noted the unacceptable delay in implementing the R18.9 million Duja report, which has allowed implicated individuals to remain or be reappointed elsewhere within DHET entities.
The committee was also dismayed to hear that one of the administrator’s advisors, Ms Lethabo Mamabolo, flew to Cape Town on 21 November 2025 to participate in a cycling event using CETA resources.
The committee Chairperson, Mr Tebogo Letsie, also remarked that the department is spending huge amounts on forensic reports, only for them to be taken on review. “Your core business is to skill and upskill the workforce of South Africa. In the context of the latest unemployment statistics, SETAs were created to help drive economic growth; this is not happening,” he said.
Mr Letsie also lambasted CETA for failing to implement consequence management for wrongdoing identified in forensic reports, including the Duja report.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING, MR TEBOGO LETSIE.
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