Pretoria-Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, will step down from her position following a reshuffle of the Democratic Alliance’s representatives in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The move forms part of a broader reconfiguration of the DA’s GNU team initiated by newly elected DA Federal Leader Geordin Hill-Lewis, who has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to implement changes to certain ministerial and deputy ministerial positions. The reshuffle follows an internal review aimed at strengthening the party’s contribution to the coalition government.
Importantly, the DA remains part of the Government of National Unity.
In a media statement issued on 17 June 2026, Dr Gondwe addressed colleagues within the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), stakeholders in the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector, and students across institutions nationwide, expressing appreciation for the opportunity to serve.
Reflecting on her tenure, she highlighted several milestones, including infrastructure investment in Community Education and Training (CET) colleges. This included R5 million allocated to the Emlandeneni Learning Centre in KwaZulu-Natal and R90 million distributed among nine CET colleges nationwide.
She also pointed to strategic public-private partnerships with Old Mutual, Microsoft, Google and Takealot, aimed at expanding pathways to employment, workplace learning and entrepreneurship for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and CET students, while strengthening digital skills across the sector.
A key initiative during her tenure was the Deputy Minister’s Help Desk (DM’s HelpDesk), which handled more than 67,000 enquiries with a 91% resolution rate, providing direct support to students navigating the higher education system.
Dr Gondwe further led the national Bogus Colleges Awareness Campaign to protect students from fraudulent institutions and promote legislative compliance. She also championed the Matric Support Programme, designed to bridge the gap between Basic Education and Higher Education by bringing services to remote communities and ensuring matriculants had access to accurate application information.
In her farewell message, Dr Gondwe thanked the Democratic Alliance, President Ramaphosa, department officials, entities, and private-sector partners for their collaboration and shared commitment to empowering young South Africans.
“It was an absolute honour and a privilege to serve,” she said, concluding with: “Ke a leboga.”
