Youth of SA call for structural reform and applauds Minister Nkabane’s bold leadership

Young people of South Africa wish to reaffirm their commitment to the transformation of the post-school education and training sector, and in doing so, acknowledges the crucial and courageous role being played by Minister of Higher Education Nobuhle Nkabane. At a time when the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) stands at a crossroads, it is essential to assess the path forward in the context of its troubled past.

Since its inception, DHET has been plagued by deep-rooted institutional dysfunction. From the collapse of governance at multiple Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), to repeated scandals involving looting and maladministration at National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The department has too often failed to live up to its constitutional obligations. Previous administrations allowed entrenched corruption and patronage networks to flourish within NSFAS, National Skills Fund (NSF) and SETAs, undermining their core mandate of education, skills development, innovation and youth empowerment. Not too long ago R5 billion disappeared from the National Skills Fund and no one has been arrested. These are the type of organised criminal syndicates in the department Minister Nobuhle Nkabane is up against.

It is against this backdrop that Minister Nkabane, one of the youngest members of the 7th Administration’s Cabinet, assumed leadership. Rather than continuing with business as usual, she has dared to confront the very syndicates that have long captured key institutions in the sector. Her efforts to restore accountability, prioritise students, and reorient the sector toward its developmental role have made her a target of fierce resistance from those with vested interests in maintaining the status quo.

Minister Nkabane's bold steps - including her nationwide institutional visits to prevent financial exclusion, the historic 46% increase in NSFAS living allowances for TVET students, and the decentralisation of NSFAS operations to improve direct student service - reflect a shift from reactive leadership to proactive transformation.

This is supported by the new NSFAS board which has publicly stated that it will fully cooperate with Special Investigations Unit to terminate the corrupt ‘R2.5 million’ per month, five year lease agreement for NSFAS head office in Cape Town. This coincide with the NSFAS board having stated at the portfolio committee that it is conducting a legal review of the corrupt student accommodation “solution” providers which bleeds NSFAS R1.3 billion, according to News24. This signals a new error of clean governance and zero tolerance to corruption. These interventions are not only progressive, they are disruptive to the corrupt networks that have treated the department and its entities as a feeding trough.

The backlash she is now facing, which includes smear campaigns and political sabotage, must be understood within this context. It is not simply political opposition, but it is a calculated attempt by organised networks within the department and affiliated bodies to protect illicit gains and undermine reform. Her determination to disrupt the capture of NSFAS, NSF and SETAs has placed her in direct confrontation with powerful interests who are now fighting back.

As the youth of South Africa, we do not offer blind allegiance to any leader. Our support for Minister Nobuhle Nkabane is rooted in evidence, action, and a vision for a post-school education system that serves the youth and the economy of South Africa. Her leadership marks a decisive break from the inertia and complacency that have long defined the DHET.

We call on all stakeholders—students, academics, labour, civil society, and government to support the long-overdue reform of the higher education and training system. The resistance Minister Nkabane faces is a symptom of progress. Transformation, by its nature, unsettles those who benefit from dysfunction. We must not allow sabotage, fear, or vested interests to derail this new trajectory.

It is time to turn the page on corruption, and recommit the DHET to its core mandate: empowering young South Africans with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities they deserve.

Lwazi Ntombela is the vice president of the South African Youth Economic Council

*** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL.

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