Consumer court orders closure of Mahikeng college

© Lawrence Wee – 123RF.com

The provincial Department of Economy and Enterprise Development on Monday said the Consumer Affairs Court has ordered the closure of the private college.

“The Consumer Affairs Court in its sitting in Mmabatho ordered the private college operating in Mahikeng to refund all learners who were registered with it.

“It was established that it operates illegally as it is not registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training. The case was referred to the Court after the failure of the mediation process by North West Consumer Affairs Office,” said the department on Monday.

The college has been offering courses which were not accredited by the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) which includes, information technology and Mechanical Engineering N3.

Two certificates were verified by MICT SETA and it was discovered that they were fraudulent. Certificates were issued without the MICT SETA’s consent which is in breach of accreditation terms and conditions.

Geofrey Kakaire could not provide sufficient reasons to the court why he operated the college whilst not complying with the laws of the Republic and he took advantage of poor students who registered out of ignorance.

The Court ordered that the affected students be refunded all fees paid and that a copy of the order be printed and posted at the entrance of Rock of Springs SA College.