Criminal Case Opened for CETA Administrator’s R3-Million Salary

Statement by Karabo Khakhau MP – DA Deputy Spokesperson on Higher Education and Training:

Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) laid criminal charges against a Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) administrator Oupa Nkoane for the alleged fraudulent approval of his own annual salary, R3 million, which was more than the R500 000 Minister Buti Manamela prescribed for his salary package.

The DA fights to protect public money against looting. Our charges outline serious governance failures.

When confronted about this matter in Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Nkoane admitted to the salary creep citing his own financial reasons. The DA has submitted video evidence of this meeting, and the official record of the Committee to the Police for their investigation into Nkoane.

We believe this practice amounts to a criminal contravention of Sections 86 (2) read with sections 50 (1)(b), 50 (2)(a) and (b), 51(1)(b)(ii) and 51(1)(h) of the Public Finance Management Act.

The DA’s criminal complaint alleges that Mr Nkoane willfully and in a grossly negligent manner contravened the PFMA for his personal gain.

It wasn’t until January 2026 that Minister Buti Manamela overruled CETA and Nkoane’s decision and approved a R2.5 million package. Consequently, he received an overpayment of R208 333 from October 2025 to March 2026.

These are concrete grounds for investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The SAPS has opened a case and will now move to assign an investigating officer.

We demand a full criminal investigation and urgent steps to recover any lost public funds.

Nkoane was appointed by the Minister of Higher Education solely to fix what’s wrong with CETA. Instead he brought more problems. The DA warned against his appointment and maintains that he was the wrong choice for appointment.

This scandal adds to a laundry list of reasons why SETAs must be scrapped. SETAs were designed as lucrative looting funds for ANC cadres instead of creating tangible skills development and job creation for the country’s youth.