Deputy Higher Education and Training Minister Mimmy Gondwe arrives at Phakamile Community Learning Centre in Kariega. (Photo: Siyabonga Goni) 
The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mimmy Gondwe, said the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas), which had been under scrutiny due to allegations of corruption and nepotism, including former minister Nobuhle Nkabane making appointments of ANC politicians as chairpersons of 21 Seta boards, must start making a difference in unemployment. The new minister, Buti Manamela, would make things happen, said Gondwe.
Read more: DA lays criminal charges against Nkabane over ‘lies’ to Parliament in Seta scandal
On 30 July 2025 Gondwe was in Kariega (Uitenhage) in the Eastern Cape visiting the CET College’s Phakamile Community Learning Centre, and participated in Mandela Month outreach activities, at which she distributed hygiene packs, helped paint the building, and cleaned classrooms alongside the community. The college had dilapidated infrastructure with a few broken windows, classrooms without ceilings, and peeling paint.
During the visit, Gondwe was accompanied by representatives from the 21 different setas, including the Agricultural seta, the Health and Welfare seta, and the embattled Services seta that is embroiled in a R163-million contract scandal for biometric units meant to track learner attendance and manage stipend payments.
Read more: How Services Seta blew R163-million and broke SA’s skills promise.
After her address at the college, Daily Maverick asked Gondwe about the importance of ensuring that Setas remained stable after allegations of corruption, a lack of stipends for trainees, and issues relating to the previous minister, Nkabane.
“The fact of the matter is that Setas have to start making a dent in the rate of unemployment. They have to start making a difference… I think with the new minister, he understands and grasps that it will be his clear call to the Setas that you must start making a difference now.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_6699.jpeg "Dilapidated classrooms at Phakamile Community Learning Centre in Gqeberha. (Photo: Siyabonga Goni)")
“Yes, some of them have been embroiled in allegations of corruption and maladministration, etc. but it does not take away from the role that they can play if they are properly managed, and they can play a fundamental role,” said Gondwe.
Setas are meant to facilitate skills development through learning programmes like learnerships, skills programmes and internships. However, they have been under scrutiny due to allegations of corruption and failing to deliver on their mandates.
Read more: Broken promises — how SA’s Seta system leaves young job seekers behind.
Gondwe said she had direct oversight in a few Setas, and that she had challenged them to ensure their impact was visible in the economy.
“It’s not enough for you to say we’ve managed to reach 20,000 students, but where are those students? You’ve got to take an interest in where they end up because our success as a sector doesn’t lie in how many people we train or skill, but where they end up and whether we are skilling them in skills that are demanded and needed by the economy,” said Gondwe.
Restoring hope
Speaking about the positive drive by Gondwe and her department, Eastern Cape Community Education and Training (CET) College SRC chairperson Lihle Dlova said that it was monumental.
“She spoke of the fact that our existing challenges, like dilapidated infrastructure, food and nutrition, certification and the further development of CETs will be addressed as the years come. She’s already on the way, on the journey to improve our lives and the lives of the students at large. We are a very big province and one of the poorest in the country, so this is exactly what we needed,” said Dlova.
Meanwhile, the Services Seta’s manager, Makhaya Blaai, who addressed the community, said they would work together with CETs because they provided education and held a valuable position in society.
“Not everyone can go to universities and study for three years; there need to be opportunities in CET colleges where people can come and acquire short skills to receive a qualification to get work… CET centres like these are critical because they are embedded in communities to uplift those who have been excluded from the traditional education and employment pathways,” said Blaai. DM