CAPE TOWN - The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has acknowledged the smooth collaboration with universities and Student Representative Councils (SRCs) in ensuring the timely disbursement of February allowances to students. This follows an earlier announcement made during a press briefing on March 4, 2024, indicating that universities would be managing the payment of allowances for February and March 2024.
According to South African Government News Agency, an update released over the weekend confirmed that 25 out of 26 universities have fulfilled their commitment to disbursing February allowances. These payments encompassed various allowances including those for books, accommodation, transport, food, and personal care. The University of South Africa (UNISA) is in the process of finalizing allowance amounts based on student module registrations, with plans to manage March allowance payments as well.
NSFAS has urged educational institutions to facilitate the onboarding of students by direct payment service providers, ahead of the direct payment of allowances beginning in April 2024. The scheme also reported that the allowance payment process for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges started on March 6, 2024, promising more details on these procedures soon.
In preparation for a pilot project on private student accommodation, NSFAS has called for urgent onboarding of institutions, students, and accommodation providers onto the NSFAS portal to avoid payment delays. The scheme stressed the importance of having leases signed through the portal to ensure timely accommodation allowance payments and reiterated its stance against any dealings with unaccredited accommodation providers.
NSFAS also expressed its commitment to combating corruption and bribery within institutions, warning of collaborations with law enforcement to investigate reported misconduct. The scheme plans to conduct sting operations to protect students from exploitation and encourages reporting of suspected fraud through the NSFAS whistleblowing hotline.
Furthermore, NSFAS highlighted its expectation for accommodation providers located beyond a 5-kilometer radius from campuses to offer transport for students, emphasizing the responsibility for student safety.
An incident of intimidation and the holding of NSFAS officials hostage at the University of Zululand (UniZulu) was strongly condemned by the scheme. This event occurred following discussions on the onboarding and payment for student accommodation, leading NSFAS to consider actions against involved accommodation providers.