I applaud and wish to convey my congratulations to minister of higher education and training Dr Blade Nzimande on his swift and courageous stance and decision against the Educor group's failure to comply with regulations governing higher education in SA.

Educor group – a leading private education service provider, which has among its flagship colleges, Damelin, a name most of our people trust when coming to correspondence – has failed many students who took loans with the hope of getting education to improve their lives, only to be deceived.

Since our democratic dispensation, there has been a mushrooming of private colleges, and truth be told, the issues of non-compliance have always been associated with new start-up colleges mostly offering nursing and in many cases owned by locals and foreigners, and sadly our people lost their hard-earned money as a result.

The department is within its right to protect the interests of the public and its decision is within its mandate as guided by the constitution and private higher education act.

Lesego Raymond Shabangu, Pretoria West