IF you think board executives in the state-funded skills training programme cannot play mugging games, think again. 

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has instituted shocking corruption charges against senior officials of the Energy Sector Education and Training Authority (ESETA) over alleged siphoning of millions of rands meant for skills training of workers and mismanagement. 

And, ESETA board chairperson Johnny Olivier has announced his resignation with immediate effect after a forensic audit investigation into the damning fraud and mismanagement allegations of the training authority fund had been launched. Numsa is aware of the resignation letter and gladly accepted it. 

The chief executive officer of the energy Seta was also summarily placed on suspension pending the outcome of the investigation into alleged fraud allegations.

Over the past two years several complaints of conflicting interests among some Seta board members have been streaming, including inferior training offered by a major service provider which was favoured by board members said to be attached to the company.

Numsa can reveal that it recently interrupted an inflated R11 million claim by the errant training providers which was “improperly” approved by the same training authority.

ESETA is also accused of abusing its position by allowing some of its board members to squeeze out large sums of money for the six- months practical training course which was offered within a fortnight at a charging rate of more than six thousand five hundred rands per individual trainee.

The union leadership is adamant these incidents of irregular awarding of contracts to Electrical Contractors Association SA (ECASA) which also enjoyed representation in the board of the Energy Seta will be pursued to its logical conclusion.

Legal action is being taken by companies against the service provider which offered 550 learners electrician certificates after they were only trained for a fortnight when the minimum training period is six months for learnership level two. And, the union demands that about R3, 5 million spent on sloppy learnership training should be recovered from the misbehaving learnership training providers.

Numsa is also not surprised that ECASA’s accreditation has not yet been suspended for allegedly engaging in fraudulent training activities. We are waiting with curiosity when the heads would start rolling.

End

For more information contact:-

Mziwakhe Hlangani, Numsa national spokesperson

Cell: 0829407116

E-mail address: mziwakheh@numsa.org.za

Source

Numsa News