The Gert Sibande TVET college in Mpumalanga has been exposed for employing a ten lecturers who are foreign nationals without the consideration of South Africans first as stipulated in law.
This happened this week during the three-day oversight visit to the province where the sun rises by parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education and training.
Human resource head admits wrongdoing
The college’s Human Resource boss, Bongane Dlongolo, admitted that he facilitated the appointment of a senior college official for assistance director: research, who is a foreign national, without putting qualified South Africans first.
As if this is not scandalous enough, it also emerged that this college had hired 10 foreign nationals in total, which triggered the interest from committee members to probe what scarce skill they had which cannot be found among South Africans.
It was ANC MP Yanga Govana who fired the first Salvo: “I will move to the issue of foreign teachers. We have 10 you have presented before us, and eight of them who are from Zimbabwe are lecturers, what special and scarce skills are they providing to the institution that was not found in South Africa?”
The college’s acting deputy principal: corporate Tumelo Mokubyane responded: “The eight were employed around 2022 and you are correct they are not providing any scarce skill.”
Govana was agitated by this admission, and she pressed harder for answers.
“Why did they get first preference when we have to fill the gap of the high unemployment we are facing as a country? I am speaking of eight people (from outside the country) that are employed and are not providing anything that we cannot offer as a country.
“What could be the reason to get a foreign person to become a lecturer in South Africa having a diploma in education whereas we have produced more than 5 000 of those in our universities? And they are out there unemployed; what was the logic behind this?”
Deputy principal clueless
Mokubyane, with his voice shaking, made a much fatal admission that he was clueless about how the ten foreigners were hired ahead of South Africans without offering anything special.
“I accept that there is no scarce or special skill that they were providing but I do not have reasons why they were employed where I am seated now ma’am.”
Portfolio committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie’s jaw dropped and lectured the college officials on what the law says about the hiring of foreign nationals for basic jobs without considering natives first.
‘College contravened provisions of Employment Service Act’
Dlongolo appeared stunned when Letsie, also an ANC MP, read him the riot act, telling him clearly that the college had contravened provisions of the Employment Service Act with their prioritisation of foreigners.
“We did not look for South Africans that are qualifying. That was the error on our side, chairperson,” said Dlongolo which triggered the reaction from Lestie that they are breaking the law.
Said Letsie: “You do not understand the employment service Act. I want to read it for you because it is concerning that HR who was supposed to follow this Act to the latter does not understand, it is a big worry for me.
“Section eight reads: ’employment of foreign nationals: an employer may not employ a foreign national within the territory of the Republic of South Africa prior to such a foreign national producing an applicable valid work permit, issued in terms of the immigration act’, that is one.
“Two, it says ‘the minister, may, after consulting the board make regulations to facilitate the employment of foreign nationals, which regulations may include: the employer must satisfy themselves that there are no other persons in the with suitable skills to fill a vacancy before recruiting a foreign nationals.”
The revelations of the shenanigans at Gert Sibande TVET have triggered widespread calls from the broader South Africa that the anti-immigration movement sweeping through the country, led by March and March Until We Win, was in fact justified to make calls for the placement of South Africans in all non-special or semi-skill jobs.
The conduct of the officials of the college has received overwhelming condemnation.
- Gert Sibande TVET College in Mpumalanga employed ten foreign lecturers without considering qualified South Africans first, violating legal stipulations.
- College Human Resources head Bongane Dlongolo admitted facilitating the appointment of a foreign national as assistance director: research without prioritizing South Africans.
- Eight of the ten foreign lecturers are from Zimbabwe and do not provide any scarce skills not found among South Africans, according to the college's acting deputy principal Tumelo Mokubyane.
- Portfolio committee chair Tebogo Letsie stated the college contravened the Employment Service Act by not prioritizing South Africans before hiring foreign nationals.
- The incident has sparked widespread condemnation and fueled support for anti-immigration movements advocating for the placement of South Africans in non-specialist jobs.
