The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is issuing a warning to learners and parents to be vigilant and look out for unregistered colleges referred to as “bogus” colleges and to verify the validity of learning institutions before registering for tertiary studies in 2026.
In a recent interview with the Express, the Deputy Minister of the department, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, said that the recent trends identified by the Department include a number of online operators committing internet fraud by purporting to offer short-term online qualifications, and other institutions offering contact classes with unaccredited qualifications to mislead the public.
In an attempt to raise awareness and warn the public about bogus colleges, the department launched the Bogus Colleges Awareness Campaign in 2016 as an intervention against the mushrooming number of unregistered colleges and those that are registered but which offer programmes that are not accredited by the relevant quality assurance bodies, such as the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO).
Since the start of the campaign in 2016, about 50 bogus colleges have been shut down for various violations.
However, the campaign gained real momentum in 2024.
During 2024, four successful awareness campaigns were run, reaching three provinces with large student populations: KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Eastern Cape.
“Bogus colleges can be very damaging to the credibility of our sector. Furthermore, they not only rob students and their parents of their hard-earned money but also deprive students of the opportunity to obtain a legitimate qualification.
“This is an issue close to my heart, which is why I have worked to strengthen this campaign and give it real impact by partnering with law enforcement agencies, including the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Department of Home Affairs, and the Department of Labour and Employment,” said Gondwe.
The Deputy Minister emphasised the significance of private higher education institutions, noting that their operations must comply with legal requirements.
“The reality is that we have only 50 TVET colleges and 26 public universities, which can accommodate only a limited number of students.
“Therefore, we recognise and appreciate the role that private institutions of higher education can play in enrolling students whose parents can afford private education, but they must be registered and offer programmes accredited by our quality assurance bodies, Umalusi, QCTO, and the Council on Higher Education,” she said.
The department maintains a list of both registered and bogus colleges on the DHET website.
