Graduates lose overseas jobs as qualification body delays

The South African Qualifications Authority’s (SAQA) delay in processing verification of tertiary qualification documents has resulted in a number of South Africans losing overseas jobs.

There has been an outcry from graduates who said they waited for months for SAQA to verify their qualification documents to seal international work contracts in countries including China, Britain, Australia and the US. They said SAQA had sent them from pillar to post and some lost their contracts.

SAQA effectively took on the task of verifying documents from 1 December from the department of higher education, which had issued the letter within a day and free of charge.

But since the process was transferred to SAQA, it now takes 20 days and costs R200. The changes led to many graduates taking to Twitter to plead with Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande to transfer the process back to the department. There has been no response to requests for comment from the department.

Thabang Mrwebi said he sent SAQA an application for the verification letter early in December and had not received any progressive response to date.

“I went to their offices in Pretoria where I was told to wait and send an e-mail while I had sent several e-mails and never received one feedback. I’ve called them multiple times and the calls get dropped,” said Mrwebi.

Mrwebi was scheduled to leave for China early next month, but feared SAQA’s delay would cost him the job.

Sizeka Mtandeki said she felt like a failure after losing a contract. “I graduated in 2016 and worked in retail with a bachelor’s degree. Now that I managed to get a better-paying job, SAQA failed me.”

She got another teaching contract via another agent but now feared losing the second contract.

Nandi Potsanyane said she was meant to leave today for Vietnam, but did not have her verification letter, which she applied for earlier this month. She had begged the agency to push back her starting date. She took her grievances to Twitter, where many graduates told the same story.