Foreign nationals dominate senior positions in South African universities amid data gaps and fraud concerns

This situation is often attributed to fraudulent entries, allegedly facilitated by corrupt home affairs officials. While universities cite "internationalisation" for hiring foreign staff, parliamentarians suggest this policy is being misused, potentially sidelining local recruitment and South African academics. The department of higher education and training admits to lacking reliable national data on foreign recruitment, relying on incomplete information from institutions.

The investigation covered 14 of 26 public universities, but only five provided usable figures, with inconsistent terminology making comparisons difficult. Foreign nationals constitute 7.1% of staff at public universities, compared to 2.1% in the wider education workforce. This concentration rises to 12.8% for professionally qualified university staff and 16% for senior management.

The department warns this trend poses a long-term transformation risk. Compliance failures are also prevalent, with 91% of inspected institutions found non-compliant with the Employment Equity Act. Sol Plaatje University showed the highest proportional concentration of foreign nationals at the professionally qualified level.

SIU investigations have uncovered systemic fraud, including fake university acceptance