SETAs must explain R14 million spent on lavish international trips

Dear Editor

The DA will submit further parliamentary questions to get to the bottom of how 13 of the 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) spent R14 million of public money on lavish international trips in 2015 and 2016.

A series of replies to written DA parliamentary questions revealed that 13 SETAs spent millions to fund lavish international trips for their senior executives and board members.

The DA will now submit additional parliamentary questions requesting the full internal reports on these trips to learn if there is any demonstrable benefit to the performance of the SETAs as a result of the international travel.

The fact of the matter is that every possible cent should be poured into skills training, not on international travel for high-earning executives and board members.

The worst offender of this irregular expenditure is the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) which spent R4.6 million during this period. The CEO, alone, accounted for R1.2 million on 8 international trips to various destinations including Brazil, the UK, the US and the Netherlands.

The second-highest expenditure was the R1.6 million spent by the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA (merSETA), where the CEO took 11 international trips in 2015/2016. The third-highest is the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) which spent R1.45 million.

Earlier this month the DA submitted a complaint to the Public Protector after allegations of extensive corruption amongst senior executives at the MQA came to light.

It is unacceptable that the executives of these SETAs, who can afford to pay for their travels out of their own pockets, spend such outrages amounts of public money, especially considering the high rates of underperformance amongst SETAs.

The Department of Higher Education and Training’s Annual Report for 2015/16 noted that only two of the four performance targets across SETAs were achieved. Only 40% of national artisan learners were either employed or self-employed after training and the latest available 2014 post-school education and training sector statistics showed that a mere 30.5% of those registered for internships, had been certificated.

For too long the lost generation of born frees have been the victims of decades of government greed and corruption.

The DA will find out, through the requested reports, whether these expensive trips have any tangible benefit to South Africans struggling to improve their skills and opportunity for employment.

Regards

Hlomela Bucwa MP
DA Member of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training