Students march to Union Buildings over NSFAS defunding crisis

Disgruntled University of Pretoria (UP) students are set to march to the Union Buildings to submit a memorandum of demands over the defunding of students by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

Dozens of students with placards gathered at UP early on Wednesday and were waiting for their peers from North West University and the University of Limpopo who were expected to join them to march to the Union Buildings lawns. 

The students claim that many of them have been unfairly defunded by the NSFAS and said they were also against the new online payment system of their allowances.

They are demanding that minister of higher education and training Blade Nzimande immediately fix the NSFAS crises.

ActionSA UP student chapter chair Donald Letsoalo said a memorandum will be directed to Nzimande and President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The reason we are heading there is because a number of students have been defunded by the NSFAS for reasons such as missing documents and others don't have legal guardians' documents,” said Letsoalo.

He said most of the defunded students qualify to be funded.

“The NSFAS needs to do something. It's unfair that students have to go home because they are defunded. Everyone has a right to free education,” said Charlotte Kelly, a BCom accounting student.

Student, Tamir Lipschilz said: “I am here to offer support and help because they need my help. It's sad that more students will be homeless and starving by the end of next week.”

Last month the NSFAS told Sowetan it has cut out thousands of students who it believes were dishonest in their applications for funding.

The fund said for the first time in its history it was verifying information from applicants with public databases including the South African Revenue Service, the home affairs department, South African Social Security Agency and credit bureaus.

This after it discovered earlier this year that it lost R5bn in funding to about 40,000 undeserving applicants between 2018 and 2021. Those funds have not been recovered. 

Tshwane University of Technology students have embarked on a march at the institution.

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