NSF denies accountability deficiencies in aviation skills funding

The National Skills Fund (NSF) has denied accountability deficiencies, or the implication that the state-funding entity was shielding aviation-related funding, “or any funding for that matter”, from scrutiny.

The NSF said it operated within strict legislative and reporting frameworks and complied fully with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), the National Treasury guidelines and prescripts of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

According to the Acting CEO, Melissa Erra, that learner data in its annual report is presented in aggregate form, as required by its approved annual performance plan, rather than broken down by sub-sectors such as aviation.

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This, she said, should not be interpreted as a lack of transparency.

“The reason for the aggregation of data is because the NSF’s annual report is compiled in line with the approved annual performance plan, which requires learner data to be reported in aggregate rather than by specific sub-sectors such as aviation,” Erra said.

Accountability gaps in aviation training funding

In January, The Citizen reported that two consecutive NSF annual reports painted a consistent picture of lack of accountability in how public funds are spent on aviation training.

In both reporting periods, for 2023-24 and 2024-25, the NSF acknowledges discretionary grant funding for aviation-related skills development.

However, the reports point to a striking continuity of disclosure failures preventing the public from assessing whether these projects delivered value for money or meaningful skills outcomes.

There are no approval dates, no fund distribution schedules and no clear indication of whether projects were newly approved, rolled over, delayed or completed.

Aviation projects are instead absorbed into aggregated discretionary grant reporting, obscuring how much public funding individual entities received and over what period.

Both reports fail to disclose learner-level data, with no confirmation of how many trainees enrolled in aviation programmes or how many completed the training.

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Erra explained that, as a public entity, the NSF tables its plans and reports before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, submits them to the Department of Higher Education and Training, the National Skills Authority (NSA), and its accounting authority, and is subject to ongoing parliamentary oversight.

“As part of its annual report, the NSF includes a table of projects approved for funding through the NSF. This information is also available in the 2024/25 annual report which is on the NSF website and other sites… the report provides the name of contracted parties and contract value,” she said.

The NSF, Erra said, was also periodically evaluated by the DHET and NSA, saying an evaluation covering 2015/16 to 2019/20 has already been published, while a new study covering 2020 to 2025 was currently underway and will be made public once completed.

New transparency measures

Acknowledging public concern, the she said the NSF has initiated new transparency measures since late 2025.

These, Erra said, included expanding information shared on its website and social media platforms, and preparing to publish comprehensive project-level data once compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) is approved by the Information Regulator.

She said NSF was committed to reform, transparency and accountability, noting that since September 2024 the NSF has embarked on a transformation process driven by new leadership and recommendations of the Ministerial Task Team.

The NSF said legislative amendments and the establishment of an advisory committee are among steps being prioritised to stabilise and reposition NSF.