Services SETA tackles project delays and strengthens accountability with new PMU
By Lebogang Kotsi
The Services SETA hosted a Project Management and Grants Delivery Workshop on 15 April 2026 at the CSIR Conference Centre in Pretoria, marking a key step in strengthening governance, improving accountability, and enhancing the delivery of funded programmes.
The workshop also marked the operational launch of the organisation’s Project Management Unit (PMU), an intervention aimed at addressing persistent challenges in programme implementation.
These challenges include delays in project completion, slow learner certification, and inconsistencies in stipend payments. The PMU is expected to strengthen project governance, improve financial discipline, and ensure that funded programmes deliver measurable outcomes.
Speaking at the workshop, Services SETA Administrator, Lehlogonolo Masoga, emphasised the importance of strengthening project management as a core driver of delivery.
“We have put together this workshop as a launching pad to build our project management capabilities. What we want to build is an alternative way of doing things differently,” he said.
Masoga added that the focus must be on how the organisation responds to challenges.
“The issue is not that we don’t have problems. The issue is what we do with these problems,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, also addressed the workshop. She emphasised the need to shift the sector’s focus from activity to impact.
“We invest billions into skills development, but investment alone does not produce outcomes. We cannot continue to measure success by the number of students we enrol or the certificates we issue. The real measure of success is whether learners transition into meaningful employment and sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
She further highlighted the need for stronger project management and improved oversight across the SETA system.
Director-General of the Department of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, reinforced the importance of strong governance and accountability in the management of public resources.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that public funds are managed prudently, transparently, efficiently and economically to achieve meaningful outcomes,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Masoga outlined key actions to strengthen delivery and build capability across the sector.
“We have to do something with SASSA so that we draw lessons from those best practices,” he said.
“We have to talk to PMSA on the immediate introduction of a training programme or masterclass, not just for Services SETA, but for the sector,” he added.
The workshop brought together key stakeholders from across the public sector, including SETAs, the Department of Higher Education and Training, and industry partners.
The engagement focused on sharing lessons, strengthening collaboration, and identifying practical solutions to improve delivery performance across the sector.
To access the presentation & photos and videos see below:
