Parliament, Thursday, 6 August 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has expressed serious concern about sexual harassment allegations involving a senior employee at Ehlanzeni Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in Mpumalanga.
During an oversight visit to the college on Wednesday, the committee was informed that a group of women employees had reported allegations that a manager made inappropriate advances towards an intern and threatened not to renew her internship after she rejected him. College management told the committee that the matter was not pursued further because the intern was unwilling to testify and had subsequently left the institution.
Members expressed concern that the apparent unwillingness of the intern to participate had resulted in the matter being closed without a fuller assessment of the allegations, the available evidence or the possible risk to other interns and junior employees.
Chairperson of the committee, Mr Tebogo Letsie, said institutions must respond to sexual harassment allegations in a manner that protects complainants, respects due process and considers all available evidence. “The reluctance of a complainant to testify does not remove an institution’s responsibility to assess the allegations or to determine whether other evidence is available and take reasonable steps to protect students and employees from possible harm,” he said. Mr Letsie said the college should have considered whether other employees could provide relevant information, whether appropriate support had been offered to the intern and whether the allegations indicated a broader risk requiring further action.
The committee was also concerned about an apparent gap in the college’s policies and procedures for preventing and addressing sexual harassment, abuse of authority and inappropriate relationships involving staff, students and interns. The Chairperson called on the college and the Department of Higher Education and Training to conduct a thorough and independent review of how the matter was handled. “The review must establish what was reported, the steps taken, what support was offered to the intern and whether the college complied with the applicable policies and procedures. It must also determine whether further investigation is possible without compromising the rights and confidentiality of those involved,” he said.
The committee further called for clear institutional rules dealing with sexual harassment, conflicts of interest, abuse of authority and relationships in which a staff member exercises supervisory, academic or employment power over a student, intern or junior employee. “Students, interns and employees must be able to report harassment safely and confidentially, without fear that their studies, employment or future opportunities will be threatened,” the Chairperson said. “Institutions must provide appropriate support and protect complainants and witnesses against retaliation.”
He said the committee will request a written report from the college and the department on the handling of the allegations, the applicable policies and the corrective steps they plan to implement.
The committee is continuing its Mpumalanga oversight programme with a visit to the University of Mpumalanga 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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