ETDP SETA under fire after allegations of a R15 million tender scandal

The Education Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP) Sector Education and Training Authority SETA) has come under fire after allegations of a R15 million tender scandal.

An office space that has not been used for more than a year is at the centre of the saga.

It’s understood the tender was granted despite an occupancy paper that was supposed to be submitted in the procurement process.

Minister of Higher Education Buti Manamela has launched an investigation, instructing the department to release a report urgently.

In 2024, the ETDP SETA put out a tender for an office space.

The SETA overseas training in schools, universities, and African National Congress (ANC) community centres.

The winning candidate of the tender was found to have missing documents, including an occupancy certificate that is required to state that the building is safe and structurally sound.

The staff members were unable to make use of the office while rent of R15 million was somehow spent by the SETA.

When an internal investigation into the tender process began, its alleged its acting ETDP SETA CEO Nokukhanya Mafahla stopped the probe.

Manamela said the allegations raise concerns of governance, building compliance and the implications for misuse of public funds.