The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has confirmed it will step in following the countrywide protest by university students on issues related to the newly introduced accommodation cap.
NSFAS said it had held consultations with the South African Union of Students (SAUS) to mitigate these challenges before the commencement of academic classes.
During a meeting on Monday in Gauteng, NSFAS management and the leadership of SAUS agreed SAUS would assist the scheme in collating details of students who did not have accommodation and allegedly sleeping in public places.
The scheme is said to also be engaging universities in a bid to receive credible information to fast-track the process.
In the meantime, NSFAS said it was in the process of identifying alternative accommodations to be provided within the stipulated rate of R45 000 per annum.
The priorities will be the universities affected by the accommodation cap that include University of Pretoria, Wits University, Stellenbosch University, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Rhodes University and Sol Plaatje University.
“Where necessary, NSFAS will have to take extraordinary measures to ensure that NSFAS-funded students are not left stranded due to sky-rocketing accommodation costs,” NSFAS spokesperson Slumezi Skosana said.
SAUS leadership has also made an undertaking to contact all SRCs in affected universities to supply the information, Skosana said.
Students from UKZN and Wits have been protesting over issues including financial exclusion, and over NSFAS’ accommodation cap, which had been reduced to R45 000 per student.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
Education