A student owes UCT half a million rand in fees, MPs told

In what is probably the highest amount owed for tuition fees in South Africa, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revealed that a student is heavily indebted and owes the institution more than half a million rand.

This came out during the higher education portfolio committee meeting with top management of UCT, University of Fort Hare (UFH) and the University of SA (Unisa) on Wednesday.

Student debt has been a challenge over the years. It is estimated that universities are owed R4 billion in historic debt.

Finances ‘concerning’

UCT’s Institutional Forum chairperson Jacques Rousseau said finances were an ongoing concern at the university.

“We have a student that owes UCT half a million rand, and we don’t see UCT recouping that money nor is the student going forward in life.

“It’s a problem. We need to do something when it comes to tuition fees, something progressive and for the good future of the country’s academia,” he said.

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Lack of student funding, added Rousseau, will become a bigger problem if not resolved.

“UCT is in a financial crisis, we have a shortfall of R300 million. I do not want to be the bearer of bad news but I can assure you that protests over funding will happen again at the beginning of next year.

“This is a worrying trend.

“Government needs to work with universities and come up with a solution to this. We are going to lose more learning hours, days and maybe months.”

Ranked the top university in the continent, UCT is said to have a deficit of over R300 million, according to African National Congress (ANC) MP Brandon Pillay.

Mounting student debt

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Mandla Shikwambana asked how a student could owe such a staggering amount, and whether it was compounded interest.

“I want to understand what’s happening with the student. Is he in class or not? There are rules for non-payment, I know that if I owe R80 000, I won’t be allowed in class.

“Why half a million debt for students? Does UCT have a system in place to deal with student debt? This is a crisis we cannot continue to have.”

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Meanwhile, Unisa’s Student Representative Council (SRC) told the committee that the institution’s student debt stood at a staggering R800 million.

According to secretary Landi Ndlovu, this is worsened by inefficiencies at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas).

“We have R830 million in student debt and there are many who are unable to graduate because of this. There is no assistance or funding support such as bursaries to help with student debt,” she said.