Latest news with #MimmyGondwe
TimesLIVE
9 hours ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
NSFAS vows action on student safety after sexual harassment report
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has pledged to implement stronger measures to protect students from sexual harassment and gender-based violence (GBV) in higher education after engagement with the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) on its latest findings. NSFAS met the CGE at its Cape Town offices on August 4 in a session led by higher education deputy minister Mimmy Gondwe. The meeting discussed the CGE's 'Gender transformation imperatives for higher education institutions 2024/2025" report, which assessed efforts by universities and TVET colleges to promote inclusivity, transformation and combat sexual harassment. The CGE warned that delays in allowance disbursements put students, particularly female and queer students, at greater risk, citing 'lack of safety at residences, sexual harassment and GBV' as potential consequences. It stressed the critical role NSFAS must play in addressing these challenges and called for sensitisation programmes in the post-education and training sector. 'GBV continues to be a national crisis. The CGE's reports on sexual harassment and GBV in higher education highlight this issue. It was therefore necessary to arrange a meeting between NSFAS and the CGE to address key findings, especially those concerning students' financial vulnerability,' said Gondwe. She added the department had already launched Safer Campuses, Safer Spaces outreach campaigns with partners including the CGE, Higher Health, the NPA, SAPS and NSFAS. The scheme acknowledges the link between late allowance payments and student vulnerability, saying 'timely disbursement of allowances is critical for protecting students from financial hardship and potential victimisation'. In 2025, NSFAS introduced a fixed disbursement schedule to make payment dates predictable. However, delays remain a concern, often caused by 'delayed verification processes, administrative bottlenecks or banking detail validations'. NSFAS said it is upgrading payment systems, streamlining processes and boosting staff capacity to speed up responses to problems. The organisation also committed to improving communication with students about payment deadlines and delays to 'reduce uncertainty and stress'. NSFAS said it would formally respond to the CGE's findings with specific action plans to address student vulnerabilities, which it said 'continue to perpetuate the exploitation of female and queer students'. The final report will be part of the joint higher education department submission to parliament in September.
Daily Maverick
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
A call to clean up and deliver — Deputy Minister Gondwe challenges Setas to start showing their worth
Embroiled in allegations of corruption and nepotism and students failing to complete their in-service training due to stipends not being paid, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Mimmy Gondwe says the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) need to start making a difference to unemployment. 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. 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. 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. '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
News24
18-07-2025
- Politics
- News24
Nkabane snubs Parliament amid SETA board appointment chaos
Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane snubbed Parliament on Friday by failing to attend a meeting in which she was supposed to account for the administrative mess relating to her controversial appointment of Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) chairpersons. Instead, she opted to deliver a keynote address at the Annual National Student Leadership Induction Programme in Buffalo City. Representing the ministry were Nkabane's deputies, Buti Manamela and Mimmy Gondwe. Higher education portfolio committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie said Nkabane sent a letter of apology. He wrote back to Nkabane and said: 'The apology for the meeting of 18 July is not accepted owing to the seriousness of the matter. The committee has also requested the date for the meeting in order not to clash with Cabinet meetings.' He asked Nkabane to reconsider her decisions, but she refused and asked if the meeting could take place next week instead. In May, Nkabane withdrew the appointments after an outcry that the appointees were ANC-aligned.
The Citizen
20-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Ehlanzeni TVET youth resolves NSFAS issues via access to deputy minister's help desk
The deputy minister of higher of education and training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe's student helpdesk also known as the DM's Helpdesk, gave the students of Ehlanzeni TVET College Mbombela Campus first-hand access to resolve their academic challenges such as funding. This formed part of the Gondwe's Youth Month Community Outreach Programme in partnership with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to support students on June 17. Officials of the DM's Helpdesk addressed enquiries concerning higher education matters including NSFAS and delays in issuance of results, diplomas and certificates giving students a new leaf in obtaining the free and uncomplicated education they hope for. 'The programme aims to deliver higher education support services directly to students. It is important for us to be visible, responsive and impactful so that students can progress well,' Gondwe said. ALSO READ: Deputy minister's visit prompts alliance for job creation for Ehlanzeni TVET College students She established the helpdesk 2024, soon after assuming office as a deputy minister. She said she is pleased with the effectiveness of the helpdesk as it has handled a total of 27 658 queries and boasts a resolution rate of 89% . It can be reached via dmsdesk@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
