Johannesburg - Students from various universities across Tshwane have taken their call for the scrapping of the new direct payment system introduced by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to the Department of Higher Education in Pretoria.
Scores of students from the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria, along with other colleges, filled up Francis Baard Street in Tshwane at the offices of the Department of Higher Education and Training, demanding an audience with the minister.
The students gathered at the Union Buildings in the morning before making their way to the offices of the department, demanding the minister personally come hear their grievances.
Keamogetswe Masike, TUT Student Representative Council (SRC), said students were unhappy with the continued payment of their allowances by the direct online banking system EZaga, as he alleged they did not have the financial licence to operate in the financial sector.
“Our demands are quite clear; it can’t be correct that a company that does not have a financial licence to operate is given the responsibility to facilitate the money of the poor.
“These companies are fallacious because we’ve done our research and realised that countless glitches and technical difficulties make it difficult for our students to access their allowances on time,” he said.
Masike said students had raised the issue of exorbitant charges levied by EZaga, and they failed to understand why NSFAS would opt to work with a banking service that charged the poor so much money.
“We are here to demand the attention of the minister, as we’ve exhausted all the demands with the university officials, and we believe that the only person who can assist us is the minister of higher education. We’ve committed not to leave any stone unturned until the minister comes to the ground to receive our memorandum.”
Students from TUT, along with other student formations, have decried the direct payment system; however, tensions have heated up with students from UP having joined the fray.
Rikus Delport, the spokesperson for UP, said the university was aware of the march by students to voice their concerns and frustrations regarding the challenges they were facing with NSFAS.
“We understand the importance of addressing these issues and acknowledge the right of our students to express their grievances through peaceful demonstrations.
“As an institution dedicated to academic excellence and the well-being of our students, we empathise with the difficulties that some students may encounter in accessing financial support through NSFAS.
“We have continuously engaged with the relevant authorities, including NSFAS and DHET, to advocate for improvements in the financial aid system. The current year is worse when compared to the prior year as UP has not received similar amounts of funding from NSFAS every month as in the previous year,” he added.
Furthermore, he said NSFAS had unfunded approximately 800 students in the current year who now required funding as they had been registered based on the initial funding status provided by the scheme.
However, Delport added that, as of December 31, 2022, student debt was approximately R530 million.
“It is crucial to highlight that the University of Pretoria does not have direct control over the allocation and administration of NSFAS funds.
“However, we have consistently urged for better communication and transparency between NSFAS and our students, aiming to minimise the impact of delays and uncertainties related to financial assistance.”
The student unrest comes despite assurances from eZaga that their systems were geared up and running smoothly to disperse payments without further delays to registered students following the growing unrest.
The service provider was appointed alongside Coinvest, Tenetech, and Norraco Services in order to disburse funds to beneficiaries in universities and TVET colleges.
Similarly, eZaga blamed NSFAS for the timing of the transition of payments and issues relating to the defunding of students.
The Star