Hon Chairperson and hon Deputy Minister, I am very glad that you are answering this question because as you quite correctly say, here are 60 or 70 pages of Hansard where we had a long debate in 2018 on this matter. You clarified it in 2018 and I agree with you that there are challenges and there is confusion. I think the HCPSA in the main is confused.
There are people whose left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing because the very gentleman, Adv P Khumalo who was a registrar, had issued letters to students who completed the board exams in 2018 and 2019, inviting them to apply to become interns, quoting a regulation. So, there has been an interpretation of the regulation way back in 2018.
What has now prompted this new letter to go out, telling students that they will now not be allowed and that they will have to do internship in the country where they studied is quite baffling. I trust that and I even want to quote what you said that, "We will solve this problem out." There are many students who are in the pipeline. They are already studying abroad. Now, we cannot suddenly tell them that they cannot be eligible for internship or to write board exams. So, my question, hon Minister is: Will you ensure, as the Minister responsible for the Act, that we can regularise, provide certainty, consult and avoid court action which is pending? I think that the HPCSA is on very shaky grounds here and the students will win this case. We must avoid that and provide certainty to all the students who want to write board exams timeously and become interns in terms of the regulations. Thank you.