The Minister of Higher Education and the National Skills Fund (NSF) executive authority Dr Nobuhle Nkabane said on Tuesday the NSF will fully participate and make available all necessary information to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), following an investigation into the entity.

The NSF provides funding for skills development initiatives identified by the National Skills Development Plan 2030 as national priorities, which are related to the achievement of the Skills Development Act, No. 97 of 1998, or considered to be an activity undertaken by the Minister to achieve a standard of good practice in terms of skills development.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed a Proclamation authorising the SIU’s investigation into the NSF, over allegations of maladministration, improper or unlawful conduct by officials or employees of the NSF and the possible mismanagement of funds allocated to the NSF.

The scope of the investigation will also include unlawful or improper conduct by suppliers, service providers, and other involved parties, which might have occurred between 2013 and 2025, including additional projects that came through Parliament and recent exposés in the media.

Nkabane said the NSF would provide all information on internal investigations and previous investigative reports to aid the SIU’s investigation and expressed confidence that the investigation and its outcomes would set the NSF on a “new trajectory".

She asserted that the NSF was a law-abiding entity under her department, and said it had a duty to comply with the country’s laws.

“…this we will do, not only because we are obliged by the law, but also because we believe it will allow the SIU to do its work with ease. We also believe this investigation and its outcomes will set the NSF on a new trajectory as it repositions itself as a catalytic change agent in our communities and the country at large,” she said.

Nkabane confirmed a meeting between the SIU and the NSF had already taken place during which the NSF was served with a letter of intent by the SIU.

She said the meeting provided an opportunity for a full brief on the scope of the investigation and what would be required from the entity to assist the investigation.