Fidentia scandal puts learnerships at risk

AS THIS issue went to press on Monday morning (April 2), Road Freight Association funding for the Road Transport Management Learnership hung in the balance. The recent Fidentia scandal and the Transport Education & Training Authority’s investment of R250 million with the failed company means Teta can no longer guarantee the RFA funding of the learnership at this stage. “Teta will only honour contracts submitted to the chamber by January 31, 2007,” RFA CEO Sharmini Naidoo told FTW. “All contracts received after that date have been put on hold pending the results of a board meeting held last Thursday (March 29) and not available at time of writing. “As the RFA contract was only finalised on February 20, funding is no longer guaranteed even though we are in possession of a signed contract,” she said. “We have been advised by the RFA board of directors and our representative on the Teta board to defer the learnership until we receive confirmation from Teta that the contract will be honoured.”