South African MPs deplore widespread corruption in universities

Shortage of evidence holds back investigations, says higher education minister

MPs on South Africa’s higher education portfolio committee used the 11 February appearance of higher education minister Blade Nzimande to deplore the corrupt state of the country’s universities.

Nzimande had joined the committee in Parliament in Cape Town to brief it on student accommodation issues. However, MPs steered the conversation to corruption, identifying procurement of goods and services by universities as a high-risk area—a point on which Nzimande said he agreed.