Manamela says limited spaces putting pressure on higher education institutions

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela warned that the success of the 2025 matric results carries pressure for higher learning institutions.

More than 650,000 pupils passed matric in 2025, and nearly half achieved bachelor passes.

However, getting into a university is not guaranteed.

Briefing the media in Pretoria on Thursday morning, Manamela said there were only 535,000 funded and available spaces across universities, TVET colleges, and other post-matric institutions.

READ: Parliament alarmed as qualified matriculants outnumber university seats by thousands

He said the post-matric system was struggling to keep up with the demand for further studies.

"This gap between success and capacity is real, it's also structural, but it's also long-standing. But we must also accept that the last two years or so has created this shock to the system, which also means that our responses need to be much more bold and much more firmer."