Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has rejected calls to exclude foreign academics from South African universities, saying international expertise remains vital to the country’s research, innovation and global competitiveness.
However, the minister acknowledged concerns over possible visa abuse among foreign students and academic staff and said government needs stronger systems to establish whether individuals working or studying at higher education institutions are complying with immigration and employment laws.
Manamela said the Department of Higher Education and Training had previously reported that foreign nationals made up about 12% of permanent academic staff. However, he admitted that government’s existing datasets do not consistently distinguish between permanent residents and individuals holding study or work visas.
He said this data gap made it difficult to obtain a complete picture of the status of foreign nationals across universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.
Government considers joint monitoring
To address the problem, the Department of Higher Education and Training is proposing closer cooperation with the Departments of Home Affairs and Employment and Labour, as well as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
The proposed collaboration would focus on establishing a common set of data requirements and conducting inspections to determine whether foreign nationals employed or studying at institutions meet the necessary legal requirements.
Manamela acknowledged reports that some foreign students and academics could be abusing their visas. However, he stressed that universities generally rely on the documentation supplied by individuals when making appointments.
Based on the information currently available to his department, Manamela said there was no evidence that universities or TVET colleges were knowingly employing people without the required documentation.
He challenged anyone with evidence of unlawful appointments to identify the institutions involved so that the allegations could be investigated.
Minister warns against targeting foreign academics
While supporting tougher enforcement of immigration and employment laws, Manamela warned against allowing concerns about visa compliance to develop into a broader campaign against foreign academics.
He argued that excluding academics solely because they are foreign nationals would undermine South Africa’s higher education system and limit access to international expertise.
According to the minister, South African universities benefit from international academic collaboration, particularly in areas involving research, innovation and knowledge exchange.
Manamela said South Africa could not afford to isolate itself from the rest of the world at a time when international and African collaboration was increasingly important.
His position is therefore one of legal compliance without blanket exclusion: foreign academics must meet South African immigration, employment and institutional requirements, but their nationality should not in itself be grounds for removing them from universities.
The proposed cooperation between higher education authorities, Home Affairs, Employment and Labour and the SIU could now provide government with a clearer picture of the number and legal status of foreign nationals working and studying within the sector.
