The Public Servants Association (PSA) wants President Cyril Ramaphosa and the relevant government departments to consult with organised labour throughout the sector education and training authority (Seta) reform process in a thorough and transparent manner.

The PSA noted Ramaphosa’s remarks at the News24 On the Record Summit, where he said the current Seta system would be overhauled and replaced with a fit‑for‑purpose model that better supported young people in accessing employment opportunities.

The association emphasised that no meaningful overhaul of the Seta landscape could take place without comprehensive consultation with organised labour.

The association expressed concerns that if Setas were not properly governed, strategically aligned, and adequately resourced, the country risked undermining the job market and limiting opportunities for young people, in turn, impairing national development.

It pointed out that Setas play a critical role as an entry point for skills development and job opportunities, particularly for South African youths.

“… effective functioning is essential to sustaining a capable workforce and reducing unemployment,” it said.

The PSA wants evidence‑based research to be conducted to identify a sustainable and effective model that meets South Africa’s economic, demographic, and labour‑market needs.

“No employees in the current Setas must be made redundant or retrenched,” it added.

Meanwhile, the PSA demanded that Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela urgently order an independent forensic investigation into the missing R630-million at the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP Seta).

The association said it was alarmed by recent reports indicating that more than R630-million in skills-development grants had vanished, this amid ongoing governance concerns at the ETDP Seta, including allegations of financial mismanagement, irregular procurement decisions, and an escalating breakdown in internal controls.

“Recent media reports highlighted severe governance lapses, including payments for hazardous and unusable buildings, stalled internal investigations, and allegations implicating senior officials,” it said.

The PSA viewed the disappearance of over R630-million as a “catastrophic failure” of governance and a betrayal of South Africans who rely on Setas to drive skills development, job readiness, and economic opportunity.

The association called for a full public report detailing the extent of financial losses and steps taken to recover funds.

It wants implicated officials to be suspended, including those who interfered with internal investigations.

It also called for the protection of whistleblowers at the ETDP Seta.

The PSA warned that the continued looting of public funds in the Seta environment was unethical and undermined national skills development priorities at a time when unemployment remained at crisis levels.