Artisans forced to wait years for Red Seal certificates

Lebogang Molale, an electrician, has been waiting for his Red Seal certificate for more than six years. Without it, he struggles to secure permanent employment. Molale is not alone, as thousands of artisans in South Africa are experiencing similar delays in receiving their Red Seal certificates. Without the certificate, these artisans face lower salaries, fewer formal employment opportunities, and barriers to professional development.

The Red Seal certificate is a national qualification that entitles holders to salary increases, career advancement, and eligibility for overseas work. QCTO, under the Department of Higher Education and Training, issues the certificates. However, numerous test centres have accumulated backlogs of hundreds to thousands of outstanding certificates.

These centres include Olifantsfontein Artisan Academy, Qualitas, Sol-Tech, and UXI Artisan Development Group. The Solidarity trade union has been advocating for its members facing these delays, with coordinator Stef Pretorius reporting that the country-wide backlog may be "enormous". Minister Buti Manamela has stated that the country cannot industrialize, modernize, or compete globally without a strong corps of qualified artisans.

Youth unemployment in South Africa stands at 47%, according to QCTO data from the second quarter of 2026. Red Seal certificates are crucial in addressing this issue, as they can increase artisans' entry-level salaries by three times. Currently, artisans without the certificate typically earn between R4,500 and R8,000 a month. The certification process involves several government entities, including the SETAs, NAMB, and QCTO.

However, delays in the process have been attributed to a breakdown in the system, with some attributing the issue to the new system implemented in July 2024.