Nzimande orders probe of skills fund’s missing R5bn

Higher education and training minister Blade Nzimande has appointed a forensic investigations company to conduct a full-scale probe into the financial affairs of the National Skills Fund (NSF).

Just under R5bn could not be properly accounted for over two financial years, Nzimande told MPs while tabling his 2022/2023 budget in parliament yesterday.

“As a department, we are committed to deal with maladministration and corruption at the National Skills Fund.”

Despite this, Nzimande said the fund would continue to support scholarships and bursaries in 2022/2023 by providing R866m.

The budget is expected to be distributed as follows:

● R221m to the National Research Foundation;

● R527m to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme;

● R80m to the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development; and

● R9m to the department’s internal scholarship.

Last year, Nzimande came under fire in parliament’s standing committee on public accounts for hiring private forensic investigators to conduct a probe into the skills fund instead of using the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

Nzimande said the plan was to forward the findings of the private investigation to the SIU, which would be empowered to take the matter further.

He said the government was committed to financially supporting students from poor and working-class backgrounds while also putting a sustainable mechanism in place to support those from the “missing middle” and postgraduate students.

The department’s budget for the 2022/2023 financial year is R130.1bn, with an annual average increase of 7%.