Aim: The study aimed at describing the status of implementation of pre-service IMCI training in the public nursing colleges of South Africa as at 2010. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive survey of public nursing colleges of South Africa was conducted from May to June 2011. There are 32 public nursing colleges in South Africa, and each of the nine provinces has at least one. All 32 nursing colleges were included in the study. Study population: The study population included all nurse educators in the public nursing colleges teaching pre-service IMCI of student nurses in South Africa. Sampling: Two nurse educators teaching the IMCI strategy from each of the 32 public nursing colleges was included in the survey. Two nurse educators from each completed the questionnaire.Results: Pre-service IMCI training was introduced into the four-year basic diploma curriculum in the public nursing colleges between 2004 and 2009. Nurse educators teaching IMCI are not all trained in this strategy. Teaching methods used at these public nursing colleges include lectures, group discussions, practical and video shows. The availability of facilitators and training material are key success factors to IMCI teaching in the public nursing colleges. Constraints experienced included lack of human, material and financial resources, poor planning, and limited time for both theoretical and practical teaching due to a packed curriculum, as well as a lack of managerial support at all administrative levels. Conclusion: The success in pre-service IMCI training in the public nursing colleges depends on the availability of resources and ongoing managerial support to the nurse educators. New teaching methods and approaches, such as computerised tools, can be introduced to increase number of student nurses trained in this method. A mixed approach is recommended as it enables students to have continuous exposure to IMCI sessions throughout their years of study.