Cape Town - Student Representative Council (SRC) members and fellow students marched to the offices of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in Christiaan Barnard Street on Wednesday to hand over their memorandum of grievances.
University of Free State (UFS) and University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) SRC members joined the rest of the Cape universities for the peaceful, yet commanding, march that started off outside the District Six CPUT campus.
The marchers said their issues with NSFAS were not new. There had been engagement prior to the march, notifying board members about their grievances and their presence outside their offices.
NSFAS chief financial officer (CFO) Masile Ramorwesi and spokesperson Slumezi Skosana stood outside the offices as University of Cape Town (UCT) SRC president Hlengiwe Dube read out the memorandum approved by all the students involved.
In the memorandum the group listed 16 demands involving the decentralisation of NSFAS administration; an immediate end to the NSFAS direct payment system and for institutions to continue payment plans to students; immediate attendance to and approval of current NSFAS appealed applications within the next four weeks; and immediate removal of the board and NSFAS CEO Andile Nongogo.
UFS EFF student command spokesperson Axola Toto said: “We travelled 10 hours to Cape Town because we’ve been crying since the beginning of the year. We can’t afford to pay for our own accommodation, we don’t have food and we are being kicked out of our residential places.
“Research conducted by the university years back stated that at least 60% of students registered there are not able to afford basic food.
“By being here we want NSFAS to tell us exactly what it is that we must do because we have sent delegations at least twice so far and they have shown signs of arrogance and not being willing to engage with students.”
UWC SRC president Mandla-Onke Notyawa questioned the scheme’s decision and wants the centralisation of the appeals process discontinued and universities involved in the process.
“It’s impossible for NSFAS to deal with appeals from all 26 universities. This is a small office and one can’t expect them to deal with the appeals of such a large number of students.
“We are calling for them to decentralise the process so that the students can get their allowances in time. It's almost June and there are students who have not yet received their allowances.”
CPUT SRC president Mpfunzeni Ramona said: “We are fighting for students to receive their allowances so they can move back to campus. As CPUT students we are expected to be back to campus on June 2 but we don’t know how that will pan out because most of those students depend on their allowances.”
Accepting the memorandum on behalf of the CEO, Masile Ramorwesi said: “I accept this memorandum. I heard it as it was being read out, pointing out the 16 issues. We commit to respond to the issues as presented within the next 48 hours in writing.”
siviwe.melapi@inl.co.za