More than 500 graduates who participated in a two-year internship programme facilitated by the Forek Institute of Technology and funded by the National Skills Fund (NSF) say they have not received their stipends for the last three months.
The affected interns told Sunday World that the payments have been outstanding since December 2025, with no funds received for January, February, or March 2026. This has raised serious concerns about financial mismanagement and administrative transparency at the NSF.
The internship programme officially concluded on March 31, however, participants say the issue of delayed payments persisted throughout its duration.
“Throughout the two years, we consistently experienced delays, often waiting at least a month each quarter before receiving our stipends. Now, we have gone three months without any payment at all,” said Bongani Hlatshwayo, one of the affected interns.
Hlatshwayo said they earned R6 000 and since the delay in payments started, their situation is dire.
“They have not paid us for three months. Rent is due, and I cannot leave the premises while owing the landlord because the landlord wants his money,” Hlatshwayo stated.
Despite fulfilling all programme requirements, including the submission of monthly time sheets, interns say their repeated appeals for payment have fallen on deaf ears.
“Graduates are pushed into poverty by this nonpayment. We have been exploited and lied to,” he said.
According to another intern, communication from the institution has consisted of generic, repetitive messages that fail to address their concerns.
Efforts to seek clarity from the institution have also reportedly been met with resistance.
“When we challenged the management of the institution, we would be told that the CEO and director will meet and give us feedback, but we never received that,” said the intern.
Interns describe interactions with management as dismissive, specifically citing unhelpful responses from a programme manager. In addition, emails demanding payment have allegedly gone unanswered.
The situation has been further complicated by revelations from some of the interns who, after contacting the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), discovered they were never officially registered despite what they believe were deductions made from their stipends.
The financial consequences for interns have been severe.
“This prolonged delay in payment has placed an immense financial burden on the affected graduates. Many reported accumulating debts simply to meet basic living expenses such as food and transport.”
The affected interns hold qualifications in fields including media studies; information technology; public relations; marketing and sales; law; human resources management; and finance.
They said they entered the programme with the understanding that the NSF would ensure consistent funding.
“We are simply asking to be paid what is rightfully owed to us. We want to know from NSF if we will ever be paid,” he concluded.
NSF has distanced itself from the nonpayment, telling Sunday World that it does not directly administer the payment of stipends.
Spokesperson Lebohang Somo said that responsibility fell squarely on the appointed skills development provider –Forek in this case.
He, did, however acknowledge that the fund had received complaints from the interns.
“Upon receiving these complaints, the NSF intensified its intervention to address both the financial non-compliance and the impact on beneficiaries,” he said.
According to Somo, their probe uncovered financial non-compliance by Forek for the period October to December 2025.
“As a result, certain expenditures could not be verified as project-related, necessitating additional controls before further disbursements could be processed,” he said.
Forek did not respond to Sunday World’s enquiry.
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- Over 500 graduates took part in a two-year internship program by Forek Institute of Technology.
- The program is funded by the National Skills Fund (NSF).
- These graduates have not received their stipends for the past three months.
- The stipend delay is causing concern among the participating graduates.
- Full details of the story are available in the Sunday World e-edition.
More than 500 graduates who participated in a two-year internship programme facilitated by the Forek Institute of Technology and funded by the National Skills
“
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Despite fulfilling all programme requirements, including the submission of monthly time sheets, interns say their repeated appeals for payment have fallen on deaf ears.
“Graduates are pushed into poverty by this nonpayment. We have been exploited and lied to,” he said.
Efforts to seek clarity from the institution have also reportedly been met with resistance.
“When we challenged the management of the institution, we would be told that the CEO and director will meet and give us feedback, but we never received that,” said the intern.
Interns describe interactions with management as dismissive, specifically citing unhelpful responses from a programme manager. In addition, emails demanding payment have allegedly gone unanswered.
“
“We are simply asking to be paid what is rightfully owed to us. We want to know from NSF if we will ever be paid,” he concluded.
NSF has distanced itself from the nonpayment, telling
Spokesperson
He, did, however acknowledge that the fund had received complaints from the interns.
“Upon receiving these complaints, the NSF intensified its intervention to address both the financial non-compliance and the impact on beneficiaries,” he said.
“As a result, certain expenditures could not be verified as project-related, necessitating additional controls before further disbursements could be processed,” he said.
Forek did not respond to
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