The Democratic Alliance (DA) has uncovered that board members at the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA (merSETA) were paid a staggering R6.29 million in the 2023/24 financial year, with the chairperson alone earning R924,000, making it one of the most expensive boards in the SETA system.
Matlhodi Maseko MP, DA Spokesperson on Higher Education, stated: “This is a blatant misuse of public funds. While students struggle with NSFAS delays and unemployment, politically connected individuals are enriching themselves through inflated SETA salaries.”
The DA can confirm that Gwede Mantashe’s son was set to be deployed to this board before the party intervened to expose the ANC’s cadre deployment scheme.
“This was meant to be another ANC insider feeding frenzy,” said Maseko. “The DA stopped it, but this scandal proves how SETAs are abused as employment schemes for the connected elite.”
The revelations come from a DA Parliamentary Question, exposing how SETAs – meant to fund skills development – are instead plagued by poor governance, irregular expenditure, and excessive board payouts.
Maseko added: “The Auditor-General has repeatedly flagged SETA mismanagement, yet board members pocket millions without consequences. Meanwhile, graduates queue for jobs, and students drop out due to NSFAS failures.”
The DA demands that Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela take immediate action:
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A full audit of all SETA board remuneration and performance.
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Disclosure of political affiliations of board members.
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Forensic investigations into possible fraud and undue payments.
“We will not allow SETAs to become ANC patronage networks,” Maseko declared. “Students must come first—not corrupt cadres.”
The DA will continue pushing for transparency and accountability to ensure SETAs serve their true purpose: skilling South Africa’s youth, not funding political elites.
