The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) is appalled by the continued bungling of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and is concerned by the inconveniences that arise from such bungling. The persistent problems regarding the NSFAS administration and the bungling of student grants are unacceptable because they continue to impact students’ lives negatively.
Earlier this year on the 12th of April, the Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande, dissolved the NSFAS board and placed the institution under administration. Despite these actions, many students are still suffering under this new board. This indicates that the problems are deep-seated and expose the general incompetence that permeates the management of NSFAS. This general incompetence in management is revealed in the comments reportedly made by the NSFAS spokesperson, who said “payments have been processed, but the actual time for the landlords to receive the money was different for all of them.” That payments are going to clear-and-reflect late in the bank accounts of landlords, means that they were uploaded late by NSFAS. This shows gross incompetence in failing to schedule payments on time.
Students and their families are exhausted by the repeated excuses because they face the same problems every year. At Ehlanzeni TVET College, Thimba Campus in Mpumalanga, students have been evicted from their residences due to NSFAS’s failure to pay rent for the past five months. This issue is not isolated, students from institutions such as Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Central University of Technology (CUT), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and several others are also affected. The new NSFAS direct payment system which was intended to make the process of student grants disbursement easier is clearly ineffective because students are still facing late payments and the inconveniences that come with that including being evicted, unable to buy groceries, etc.
During this critical exam period, students are expected to focus on their studies and prepare for examinations. However, many are forced to wake up in cold weather and attend classes on empty stomachs, severely impairing their ability to concentrate in class. The dire situation of having no place to sleep also increases the chances of academic failure, as students struggle to balance their basic needs with academic responsibilities.
Urgent action is needed to prevent further suffering and to ensure that students can focus on their education without the constant threat of eviction and financial instability. The source of the disbursement bungling must be ascertained, and those responsible must be replaced. NSFAS is too important to be bungled. It is responsible for more than 760 000 livelihoods of students.
SAFTU calls for immediate and an effective solution to ensure that students receive the financial support they need without delays or disruptions. We expect no excuses on Tuesday (25 June 2024) as NSFAS has promised the payments would be done by the 25th.
