A Business Perspective on the Shooting of Mthokozisi Ntumba Outside Wits University

When analysing the Wits student protest during which this shooting happened, it’s important to remember:

• The students were protesting financial exclusion

• The private sector helps offset education costs by paying a levy to the Department of Higher Education and Training, and reclaiming some of this for helping train black people or fund universities

• Next month is the deadline for the submission of documents* reporting on how the private sector has helped advance our skills regime in exchange for reclaiming a portion of this levy

  • Interesting aside: it’s been said that because of #FeesMustFall the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition changed the Black Economic Empowerment codes to encourage companies to spend 2.5% of their payroll value on Higher Education.

  • It’s usually an expensive solution and businesses often opt to implement the Youth Employment Service Initiative instead — the idea, either way, being the economic empowerment of youth so they do not protest financial exclusion on streets.

  • This Skills Development money can be donated directly to a Higher Education institution.

• At any rate, this is the system that industrialises South Africa and is supposed to help make us globally competitive (last I checked we’re 59/63 on the index) while attracting investors

• Managed well, those investors potentially create the financial opportunities that enable students’ families and businesses alike to fund education.

That we’re ranked so low on the index and that students are still protesting economic exclusion raises questions like

• Is our Skills regime user-friendly and accessible to businesses and students alike (this is connected to our tax regime, and companies should get tax refunds for some of these spends, but. many of them are not paid out timeously)?

• Is it enabling us to attract investors and achieve inclusive economic growth, or does it only benefit some?

• What more can be done to help ease access or navigate the system? Where are the people with the answers?

• Is there a disconnect between the Constitutional right to participate in a trade of one’s choice and the accessibility of education, and the days we commemorate and the reality we experience? February was the political speeches month, this month we have Human Rights Day, and next month is Freedom Day: are business deadlines and our special national days legitimately addressing the same issues, or do they talk past one another?

This kind of tragedy does not have to keep happening. Our laws and systems can be fixed but first we have to understand how they work.

BEE Novation helps businesses make the aforementioned document submissions and leverage the B-BBEE scorecard to grow both the number of black people receiving Skills opportunities as well as the money payable to the SETAs. For too long, the technical aspect has been a business-to-business discussion while the human interest perspective has been discussed in a different silo. The two are very deeply connected.

Please contact

• Lee 072 739 3519

• 060 000 BEE1 (2331) for assistance implementing Skills Development.

*Workplace Skills Plans and Annual Training Report to the Sector Education and Training Authorities, which fall under the Department of Higher Education and Training

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Lee Du Preez

Latest posts by Lee Du Preez (see all)

• What — Other Than a US$649 Billion Policy Decision — Was Really At Stake at the DA’s Federal Congress? - 31st May 2025
• A Business Perspective on the Shooting of Mthokozisi Ntumba Outside Wits University - 30th May 2025
• ANALYSIS | Business profitability depends on the socio-economic climate, and that depends on alleviating youth unemployment - 4th October 2021