The Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala-linked Buena Vista Learning Academy was granted accreditation by the Construction Education and Training Authority (Ceta) despite critical inspections not being done, an investigation into a massive bribery for accreditation scheme has revealed.
The explosive investigation, relying on a confession and plea bargain by one of four implicated officials, has exposed a culture of “malfeasance, bribery, and systemic failure” within the authority’s Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) Unit.
“When we conducted accreditation for the infamous Buena Vista Academy, we did that without seeing mock-up structures for practicals,” the informant told the Ceta in a plea agreement statement seen by the Sunday Times.
“These (sic) gross misconduct and fraudulent charges that we are facing highlight the tip of the iceberg, and could not have happened if the process owner was vigilant.
“So letters are issued against reports that reflect missing and expired documents,” they added.
Buena Vista drew public scrutiny after it was revealed at the Madlanga commission of inquiry that it was paid R3.7m for a skills development programme despite numerous red flags.
This included no proper skills development accreditation, submission of fraudulent documentation, falsified financial histories and an invalid VAT status, as well as that it operated as a tshisanyama and was taken over by new owner Tsakane Matlala 10 days before the advert for the training closed.
Tsakane Matlala is the wife of alleged crime boss and hitman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala. Days before securing the contract, the company’s official address was moved directly to the couple’s luxury Midstream Estate mansion.
[ Cat Matlala’s lawyers in talks about plea dealOpens in new window ]
The initial contract was structured as a minor allocation of just R66,500. However, without proper oversight, the final payouts skyrocketed over sixtyfold, extracting R3.48m in taxpayer funds through Ceta grants.
Ceta’s investigation is one of several carried out as part of the clean up at the entity, led by the entity’s administrator Oupa Nkoane. The entity had been placed under administration by higher education minister Buti Manamela following several publications by the Sunday Times into maladministration, irregular expenditure under the previous leadership.
Sunday Times understands that several employees, including the Ceta’s CFO Sanele Radebe, have been placed on precautionary suspension over a raft of allegations related to malfeasance, corruption and maladministration. After being asked to account for his role, Radebe wrote a whistleblower report alleging irregularities and that he was being targeted.
The informant, whose identity is known to Sunday Times, described an environment where:
- accreditation letters were virtually guaranteed if financial inducements were paid to officials;
- applications were fast-tracked for a fee;
- fraudulent certificates were issued to individuals who never attended training; and
- the printing of accreditation letters occurred from private residences to avoid oversight.
The malfeasance has allegedly spilled over into Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) processes.
The employee also described the organisation’s certification unit as a lucrative market for corruption where providers waiting for certificates to claim final project payments, are forced to exchange money to ensure smooth issuance.
He pointed a finger at senior leadership in the unit for allegedly manipulating the Indicium system and signing off on non-compliant documents. Another is alleged to hold “unfettered power” on the Indicium system to add and make amendments to qualifications.
On Thursday, the Ceta said: “The Construction Education and Training Authority, currently under administration in terms of the Skills Development Act, 1998, has prioritised the detection, investigation and remediation of irregular conduct as a core pillar of the Administrator’s Road to Renewal strategy.”
“Acting on the recommendations of the forensic report, the administrator, Mr Oupa Nkoane, instituted disciplinary processes against the four employees identified as persons of interest.
“The recommended outcomes are as follows: one dismissal, one final written warning and two findings of not guilty,” the entity said.
Ceta added that it remains committed to transparency and will communicate all the outcomes of the systemic forensic investigation in due course.
Ceta also said it was requesting approval from National Treasury to “migrate its information management systems, including its financial systems, to platforms that will enable end-to-end digitalisation of organisational processes”.
“This modernisation is a central element of the Administrator’s Road to Renewal strategy and is designed to strengthen automated controls, reduce manual touch-points, enhance audit trails and reinforce the integrity of Ceta’s transactional environment.”
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