‘No evictions of any student’, says Manamela on Nsfas accommodation

Higher Education Deputy Minister Buti Manamela stated that no student funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) is facing eviction from their accommodation.

On Wednesday, Manamela responded to questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) during a National Assembly plenary hybrid sitting.

Nsfas student accommodation

In the Q&A session, the deputy minister revealed that Nsfas has paid out R1.9 billion towards student accommodation for both universities and technical vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.

“The administrator has also paid all legitimate invoices from the landlords on time as of August 2024 to prevent any evictions.

“So as far as we know, there will be no evictions of any student, especially in those accommodations, where they met the requirements and had legitimate invoices.

ALSO READ: ‘No accurate checks and balances system’ – Time for Nsfas to be scrapped?

“But what I must also emphasise is that the Nsfas team, as we speak, are engaged in roadshows.

“They are actually in Gauteng now meeting with all the accommodation providers to try and resolve whatever they may have,” he said.

Regarding how the investigation and resolution of any procurement irregularities within Nsfas will be expedited to safeguard student welfare and security, Manamela assured Parliament that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe would not “in any way” affect students.

Watch the Q&A session below:

SIU’s investigation into Nsfas

The SIU recently recovered R112 million from 421 unqualified Nsfas beneficiaries.

The University of Fort Hare also paid back unallocated funds of R277 million, bringing the total amount of recoveries by the SIU to R1.1 billion.

READ MORE: Nsfas losing over R21m a year to corruption

The investigating unit is looking into claims of maladministration and corruption in NSFAS affairs as well as collecting any monetary losses the government may have incurred as a result of carelessness and corruption.

The SIU’s investigation also revealed Nsfas spent R5 billion on at least 40 0000 students who did not qualify for the funding between 2018 to 2021.

Nsfas funded students dropping out?

Meanwhile, Manamela also mentioned that the Department of Higher Education was unaware if any students had dropped out of their tertiary studies due to non-payment of their accommodation.

“We don’t know how many students have dropped out for this academic year [which] is still in progress, and even if they have dropped out, we don’t know it is related to student accommodation.

“I think once we consolidate the numbers for the 2024 academic year, we will know how many students registered and how many of those completed. So, I think it would be futile for us to speculate those numbers as yet.”

READ MORE: ‘I don’t have money for groceries’- UJ Nsfas students hungry after being short changed by over R1.3K

The deputy minister informed his fellow MPs that there was no cap on accommodation for TVET college students.

“All students, university or TVET, are receiving the same allowance,” Manamela continued.

In August, Nsfas Freeman Nomvalo pledged to address the ongoing issues of late allowance payments and student accommodation challenges.

Nomvalo, who was appointed after the Nsfas board was dissolved in April, highlighted that the current payment process for student accommodation was both costly and frustrating.