A computer college in Randburg has been shut down after officials found it was offering unaccredited courses.
Deputy minister of higher education Mimmy Gondwe, together with Johannesburg MMC Sthembiso Zungu, led the closure of National Computer College (NCC) on Friday during the launch of a two-phase intergovernmental bogus college awareness campaign in the Randburg CBD.
The campaign, supported by SAPS, home affairs, labour and quality assurance bodies, comes as thousands of learners are applying for placements in the higher education sector.
NCC, which was previously registered with the department of higher education and training (DHET) for N1-N3 courses, now phased out, had been offering computer literacy programmes that were not accredited.
Lisette Kalunga, a computer literacy student, said she started her six-month course in December, paying R1,000 monthly.
“If I were to learn that the college is not offering accredited programmes, the college will have to repay the money that I have spent,” she said.
Keamogetswe Khalo from Northcliff also enrolled at NCC in January for a 12‑month office computer skills course while taking a break from pursuing her dream of becoming a flight attendant.
“I attend classes three days a week for this course,” she said.
After upgrading her matric results last year, Khalo decided to take what she calls a short break before applying to a pilot school, some of which also provide cabin crew training. “I wanted to study to become a flight attendant, and I thought doing this course would keep me busy and give me skills while I prepare for pilot school.”
But after Gondwe’s visit, she said she had to reconsider. “I pay R1,000 every month and it’s a 12‑month course. So the totality of the course is R12,000. I will rather leave early if the college is found to be a bogus one.”
During the site visit, Gondwe declared NCC non‑compliant and not accredited under South African education laws.
“There are 30 students here, and he [owner of the college] charges anything from R8,000 for qualifications. They get a certificate of achievement, but it’s unfortunate that most of these achievements are not accredited,” she said.
“That means the students cannot move forward with their qualifications. We had to inform the owner that we were shutting down this college. We’ve given them a week to wrap up their operations so that students can be informed and find other places to enrol. If he continues operating, we have no choice but to open a case against him for theft.”
She warned of the devastating impact bogus colleges have on families.
“You can imagine some parents, especially those in rural areas, who sell off their livestock or land to ensure that a child can come to Randburg and study at a college such as this one. And then, at the end of the day, it turns out that the qualifications are not accredited. It robs not only the parents of hard-earned money, but also robs learners of an opportunity to get a legitimate qualification and gain employment.”
The deputy minister said students can demand refunds. “They can demand to get their enrolment fee or whatever they’ve paid for coursework and materials. If the owner persists, they can take the matter to the small claims court,” said Gondwe.
The college owner admitted they were not accredited.
“We are private. We try to bridge the gap between school dropouts to get into the workplace. But we don’t have Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) accreditation yet. We’ve been working with bodies like Master Skills to get the information we need to apply. Until then, we’ve been offering Microsoft and Certiport programmes.”
TimesLIVE
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