Forensic company appointed to investigate NSF maladministration, corruption

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Blade Nzimande, has appointed a forensic company to conduct a full-scale forensic investigation into the financial affairs of the National Skills Fund (NSF).

This follows the Auditor-General’s report that found that a large amount of just under R5 billion could not be properly accounted for over two financial years by the National Skills Fund.

The forensic company’s appointment is in addition to the Ministerial Task Team (MTT) appointed by Nzimande to conduct a strategic review of NSF, including general operations of NSF, its efficiency, and relevance with regards to the national skills priorities of the country.

The review also includes the mandate, policy scope and analysis of NSF capacity, systems and organisational modelling, in relation to its mandate as a Schedule 3A skills levy entity.

Nzimande said the MTT held numerous stakeholder engagements from August 2021 to December 2021, ranging from NSF itself, related government departments, labour entities, as well as business and fund beneficiaries also conducting in loco inspections across the country in the sites in which NSF funded skills development projects.

“I expect that the MTT recommendations will clearly outline the strategic role and optimal future functional business model to enable NSF’s catalytic contribution to skills development and innovation in the country, considering the revolutionary changing nature of work and change of dynamic between the world of training and the world of work,” Nzimande said.

The Minister added that work is underway, and the MTT will be providing him the monthly reports regarding its work.

The MTT is expected to present a final report on their findings and recommendations to the Minister in June 2022.

“The current work by the Department of Higher Education and Training will go a long way in responding to the concerns raised by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) and other Parliamentary oversight committees on challenges experienced by the NSF,” Nzimande said.