The Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (Inseta) has summarily dismissed chief executive Gugu Mkhize after a disciplinary process found she had acted fraudulently and dishonestly by raising her own remuneration package by more than R265,000 a year without authority. News24 reports that the matter has been referred to the police.
The dismissal took effect on 9 October. Inseta’s board, chaired by Refilwe Matenche, said chief financial officer Zanele Malaza would remain acting chief executive until a permanent appointment is made, and that programmes and payments to beneficiaries would continue without interruption. The authority declined to comment further, citing confidentiality and the possibility of legal proceedings.
Mkhize had led the skills body, which manages levy funds paid by the insurance industry, since December 2020. Her removal ends a year in which her reappointment, a ministerial intervention and a court challenge placed Inseta at the centre of a wider dispute over governance in the sector education and training authority system.
Inseta leadership dispute: key dates
| Date | Event |
| Dec 2020 | Mkhize becomes Inseta CEO |
| Sep–Oct 2025 | Reappointed to a five-year term ending March 2030 |
| Dec 2025 | Outa files High Court challenge to the reappointment |
| May 2026 | Auditor-general flags process; recommends contract pay be declared irregular |
| Jun 2026 | Board suspends Mkhize; minister orders reinstatement |
| 9 Oct 2026 | Dismissal takes effect |
| 13 Oct 2026 | Fraud findings and police referral reported |
The dispute began with her reappointment to a second five-year term running to March 2030. In May, the Sunday Times reported that the auditor-general had found the process did not comply with legislation and appointment regulations. The post was not advertised nationally, there was no competitive recruitment, and the renewal was handled by one board member assisted by a senior executive rather than the full board. The auditor-general recommended that all pay under the new contract be declared irregular expenditure, and the board chair at the time later resigned.
In June the board placed Mkhize on precautionary suspension. Higher education minister Buti Manamela then directed that she be reinstated, saying he had not been consulted before the decision. The board’s investigation and disciplinary process continued, ending in last week’s dismissal.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), which has campaigned on Inseta’s finances, credited the current board with acting where its predecessor had not. Outa has said it will continue its Pretoria High Court application, filed in December 2025, to set aside the minister’s approval of the reappointment. The group has raised concerns about procurement, the appointment of high-cost service providers and an Inseta fund that grew from R20m to R443m, and points to a run of qualified audit opinions during Mkhize’s tenure. In 2025, City Press reported that R857,500 had been paid for training programmes that did not exist.
Inseta’s decisions affect training and bursary funding across the insurance industry. Earlier this year the authority faced scrutiny over delayed payments to bursary students, adding to pressure on the board.
Attention now shifts to three tracks: any criminal investigation arising from the police referral, Outa’s court case against the minister’s decision, and the board’s search for a permanent chief executive. Mkhize has previously referred media enquiries to Inseta.