Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has rejected the idea of shutting foreign academics out of South African universities, warning that targeting them could deprive the country of critical knowledge, innovation and international collaboration.
Manamela was responding to concerns over foreign nationals employed at higher education institutions and gaps in government data on their visa status.
He said the department had reported to Parliament that foreign nationals accounted for about 12% of permanent academic staff, but acknowledged that existing datasets did not always distinguish between permanent residents and people holding study or work visas.
“We developed policies on the basis of good faith. Now, the datasets that are required from institutions, some of them do not specify whether someone is a permanent resident, someone is on a study visa or a work visa,” Manamela said.
Government moves to tighten monitoring
Manamela said the Department of Higher Education and Training was proposing a joint effort with Home Affairs, Employment and Labour and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to strengthen the monitoring of foreign nationals working and studying at institutions.
“We are now, as the department, proposing that we, together with Home Affairs, Employment and Labour, the SIU has put itself into the mix, need to agree on what data we should measure, and then we need to go and do the inspection as to who meets what.”
The minister acknowledged reports of possible visa abuse involving both students and academic staff, but said universities generally relied on documentation presented to them.
“There are reports that there are students who may be abusing their visas, there may be academic staff who may be abusing their work visas,” he said.
However, Manamela said the information currently available to the department did not show universities or TVET colleges knowingly employing people without the required documentation.
“What I can say now, with as much authority as possible, based on the information that we have, is that there’s no university or TVET college that has hired any person anywhere in our institutions without the requisite papers,” he said.
“If we know anyone who’s been appointed in that way, let’s deal with those. Let’s name the university. Let’s name them.”
We’ll be making a great mistake’
While supporting stricter compliance with immigration and employment laws, Manamela strongly cautioned against turning the issue into a campaign against foreign academics.
“The idea that you can keep our universities from academics of foreign origin, I think we’ll be making a great mistake,” he said.
“Anyone who’s hired in our university must be legally appointed, must meet the rules and regulations of this country, the Constitution and the different legislation.”
“But we can’t be seen to be saying that, as South Africa, we’re going to be targeting foreign academics and be kicking them out of our institutions. I think it would be unfortunate if that happens.”
Manamela argued that South African universities needed international expertise and collaboration to remain competitive and advance research and innovation.
“The world is yearning for collaboration. The continent is yearning for collaboration. And we cannot progress as a country if we think that we can exclude and insulate ourselves from what’s happening in the world.”
Foreign expertise an ‘opportunity’ for SA
Manamela said international shifts in academia could provide South Africa with an opportunity to attract expertise and strengthen collaboration between local and international researchers.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us to get South African brains to collaborate with international brains to help build this country,” he said.
“We need innovation. We need creativity. We need to create new stuff for the markets. And we cannot be able to create those things if we insulate ourselves.”
He stressed, however, that international recruitment must remain within South African law.
“All of that needs to happen within the laws of the country.”
