SACP STATEMENT OF THE COURT CHALLENGE BY BUSA

The SACP has noted with dismay and disgust the latest attempt to derail and overall of our training landscape in a court challenge led by BUSA (see Beeld report). That BUSA has allowed itself to get to this level is a serious indictment to their commitment to skills development. This is evident in how Business at NEDLAC conducted itself around negotiations on the proposed SETA funding regulations.

The SACP supports the proposal by the Minister of Higher Education and Training to reduce the mandatory grants to 20%. It is our considered view that no developed country has succeeded by relying of private providers to train their workforce.

In our country more specifically the unscrupulous private providers who today are behind BUSA's court challenge have only sought o enrich themselves through mandatory grants whilst providing short courses that have not had a positive impact on the skill base of the workforce. Countries such as Germany, China, Switzerland and USA have relied on Public FET colleges to lead training and development of workers.

For all intents and purposes the court action by BUSA is not in the interests of business itself but driven by a growing Americanisation of politics of court challenges and the hatred by business of the Minister of Higher Education specifically for his refusing to serve their interests. Business needs a skilled workforce and only a strong public FET system will only produce that. The ‘setapreneurs' who today are driving this court challenge have not produced anything in 16 years, yet billions of rands have gone through the system.

The intention of this court challenge is nothing else but to continue undermining the working class and the poor by dishing out poor quality training programmes and keeping them at the lower rung of employment. The working class and the poor must unite and reject their continued oppression by the greedy ‘setapreneurs'. The SACP calls on the Minister not to be intimidated and to succumb to the powerful lobby of unpatriotic business agenda.

Statement issued by SACP, July 16 2013

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