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.”