Parliament warns TVETs over foreign hires amid job crisis

At least sixty-seven foreign nationals employed in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector are now under review after parliament raised concerns that qualified South Africans may be overlooked in university and college appointments. The issue surfaced during a joint meeting between the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training and the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, where Members of Parliament (MPs) scrutinised the employment of foreign nationals across universities and TVET colleges. They questioned whether institutions were properly verifying skills shortages before appointing foreign nationals, particularly in posts not clearly aligned to the country’s critical skills list.

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela acknowledged serious data shortcomings within the system. “Without credible and consolidated data, it becomes extremely difficult for us to determine whether institutions are complying with immigration and labour laws or appointing foreign nationals in roles that do not meet critical skills requirements,” said Manamela. Committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie warned that internationalisation must not disadvantage capable local professionals.

“Internationalisation cannot become a loophole to bypass the law. If institutions claim there is a skills shortage, they must demonstrate it clearly,” said Letsie. The committee has now recommended that the department urgently clean and verify its data, including reviewing the employment status of sixty-seven foreign nationals whose roles are not clearly linked to scarce or critical skills. MPs stressed that while foreign academics contribute meaningfully in certain disciplines, institutions must ensure that qualified South Africans are not sidelined and that all appointments comply with immigration legislation.