TSOTSI-PRINCIPALS AND OWNERS WHO OPERATE BOGUS INSTITUTIONS WARNED Minister Mthethwa also urges learners and parents to exercise caution during enrollment period
PRETORIA - 10 January 2012. As we have been doing during this learner registration period and as part of the When Duty Calls Festive Season safety campaign, police will across the country mount operations targeted at bogus institutions.
The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa announced today that the South African Police Service (SAPS) will continue these operations and to beef up the special investigative team which had been operating since last year, targeting these bogus training institutions.
"We want to ensure that those who masquerade as principals and directors of illegally-registered colleges are apprehended and receive harshest punishments. We are mindful that the majority of applicants at legitimate universities and colleges may not be accepted and out of desperation, may fall victim to such bogus institutions, "stated the Minister.
Once arrested the suspects are charged for contravening the Further Education and Training Colleges Act of 2006 (Act 16 of 2006 Section 28 and Section 31 (3) of the Act and Regulation 12 (4) (b). Any person found guilty of contravening this Act faces 10 years imprisonment or can be fined two hundred and fifty thousand rand (R250 000, 00) or both.
"We know that it is a season where some scoundrels would want to prey on unsuspecting learners by promising them a brighter future when in fact they are destroying their lives. We shall not allow this to happen and I have accordingly tasked police to double their efforts in uncovering these scoundrels."
Bogus training institutions are unregistered schools, colleges and universities that illegally train, forge, and defraud registration and qualification status. The modus operandi of these scams involves amongst others: victims are recruited through a spurious website, through the media (newspapers) and even through brochures distributed on the streets.
An amount of cash will be paid on registration under an impression that the institution was legally-registered. From there, illegally-forged qualifications and defrauded certificates will then be issued to unsuspecting victims. Once pounced on, these syndicates will move from town to town, province to province and even country to country, that is why our operations will be conducted in a coordinated manner.
"Last year, police operations which were carried across the country resulted in scores of unregistered Private Further Education and Training Colleges being shut down and many suspects being arrested. In Gauteng detectives apprehended Chinese nationals for being in possession of fraudulent UNISA degrees and certificates. In addition, KwaZulu-Natal police closed the paramilitary training base where victims were spuriously trained as police officials."
"What was more significant was that the majority of those arrested were denied bail and some are still behind bars. We shall ensure that we investigate thoroughly and close any gap so that none of these criminals get bail but instead receive the harshest sentences," added the Minister.
These police operations have no time frame and will be ongoing throughout the year. Police are currently visiting private schools around the country to verify their statuses. He said it is also incumbent upon those legally-registered institutions to ensure that their statuses are still intact and that the courses they offer are in accordance with their accreditation. Students and parents are urged to exercise caution during this registration period and to contact their local Departments of Higher Education, the South African Qualifications Authority, UMALUSI and other certification bodies if suspicious about a particular college's legitimacy.
Statement issued by Zweli Mnisi, Spokesperson to the Minister and Deputy Minister of Police, January 10 2012
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