Johannesburg - “I have not had a decent meal since the beginning of December. My Christmas and New Year was dark, dark, dark.”
These are the words of a South African student “abandoned” in Russia by the Mpumalanga Education Department. Independent Newspapers spoke to a group of hungry, broke and scared students who wished to remain anonymous, about their fees and rent debacle. The students now claim that they are being targeted by the same department which was meant to look after them. And all because they had the courage to speak out.
“I was told by the premier when she visited Russia a few weeks ago that I am drawing unnecessary attention to the department,” one student said.
Now the politicians have entered the fray. Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande slammed an interview by London-based South African, Hayley Reichert, acting in her private capacity, who is assisting the students saying he “dismisses with contempt the misleading and unfounded allegations by Hayley Reichert, who claims, without evidence, to be representing the South African students who are funded by the Mpumalanga Department of Education to pursue their studying at various universities in Russia.”
ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba, in turn called Nzimande’s attack on Reichert a “bully’s tirade” and added that the fees and rent drama should never have happened.
And while the politicians are slinging it out in public, students are going hungry and worry about where they will sleep, will they have something to eat and whether they will even get to complete their studies. The fees and rent scandal started towards the end of last year when the Mpumalanga Education Department did not renew its contract with the agent who was assisting the SA students in Russia. This landed some Russian universities, which host more than 200 South African students, right in the centre of a fees and stipends row through most of 2022.
The good news is that the universities have agreed to start dealing directly with South African authorities to settle the outstanding bills. Not even the intervention of Mpumalanga premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, who visited Russia late last year could convince the universities to budge as they insisted that the South Africans had a valid contract with Racus. Fast forward to 2023 and the Mpumalanga Department of Education insists it has made strides in supporting the students that are pursuing academic studies in Russia.
Spokesperson Jasper Zwane said to date, the department has successfully processed monthly stipends for all the deserving students.
“In addition to the allocated stipends, the department provided an amount for payment of accommodation. This will make things easier in that henceforth each student will upon receipt of the allocation, settle his/her monthly accommodation fees. Delays in the process of payments were due to the unwillingness by some universities in Russia to submit invoices for tuition directly to the department,” he said.
Zwane said the tuition for about 105 students has been settled or is being processed for invoices received and that these students will be able to focus on their academic programmes.
“It must be noted that some of the payments will be effected in due course by the South African embassy in Russia and as such it may be possible that information pertaining to such payments has not cleared at the time of issuing out this update.
So far, the department is satisfied with the progress made and is further engaging the other universities which have not submitted invoices to do so,” he added.
Zwane said the department is also engaging universities in Russia for possible transfer of students from universities that are not willing to submit invoices directly to the department, should the need arise. There are 27 students who requested extensions of their contracts by the department. These are students who for valid reasons could not conclude their courses within the stipulated period.
Zwane said these students were directed to submit detailed motivation accompanied by academic reports and supporting evidence. Out of the 27 students who submitted the required information, 12 have been cleared by the department and extension was duly granted.
The South African embassy in Russia will be settling outstanding payments, and so far R28 million has been processed settling tuition and accommodation fees.
The Mpumalanga Education Department did not respond to the allegations by students that they are now targets for speaking out.