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ActionSA will write to the Minister of Higher Education and NSFAS, urging immediate action and a clear plan to address the increasing uncertainty surrounding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and its funding shortfalls as universities across South Africa commence the new academic year.

At this critical juncture, hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of students nationwide face unresolved debts from the 2024 academic year. Notably, nearly 8,000 students at Wits University alone are affected by unsettled debt. This unresolved issue has left many students anxious about their academic futures as registration approaches, with NSFAS providing little clarity. Concerningly, student leaders, seeking answers and direction for the year ahead, have been met with silence from the funding body.

ActionSA National Youth Forum calls on NSFAS to immediately settle all outstanding debts and cease making excuses, avoiding accountability, and perpetuating a culture of corruption. Despite the promise of reform from the new Government of National Unity (GNU), Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane and the interim NSFAS board have proven equally ineffective in addressing the urgent crisis at hand, turning a blind eye to the struggles of students.

Sadly, our government prioritises its own comfort and extravagance over supporting our hardworking students, who are the future of our country. ActionSA believes that the government must do everything in its power to empower students and graduates, enabling them to become the generation that will lead us to a brighter tomorrow and help lift us out of further economic despair.

Regrettably, the recycling of cadres on the NSFAS board has fostered a culture of corruption and a lack of accountability within the funding scheme. As a result, there is a glaring absence of vision and actionable solutions to assist our students, who are in desperate need of support and clarity on how NSFAS will address the ongoing crisis.

Issued by ActionSA Youth Forum Chairperson Hluphi Gafane