Rich families fraudulently claim Nsfas meant for poor students
· Citizen
Tens of thousands of middle- and upper-class families are fraudulently claiming financial support from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas), depriving desperate and needy poor students from getting the university degrees which could pull them out of poverty.
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Well-off families benefiting from Nsfas by taking from deserving students is a situation described by University of Limpopo criminology and criminal justice head of department Witness Maluleka as “black-on-black” criminality, which is largely ignored by society.
Middle and upper-class families taking Nsfas support
“Some people are corrupt to the core, leading to stealing from the poor. We are under siege as a country; the poor remain poor, and the elite and middle-class individuals continue stealing from them. This should be immediately stopped. It is a shame,” he said.
Political lecturer at North-West University Benjamin Rapanyane said this problem was a serious financial obstacle for Nsfas in realising its primary objective of financing the studies of deserving students.
“If left unattended, it might give rise to student protests nationwide in cases where students are told that there is no funding available,” he said.
“A lot of students have already been impacted, especially those students who are told that they do not qualify, whereas they do qualify.”
A final-year public management student at the Mthashana TVET college said her application was rejected within hours of applying.
The student, who requested anonymity, said she wasn’t funded by Nsfas in the last semester, which is why she worked hard to pass her exams so she could be funded this semester.
Student says hope ignited then lost after rejection within hours
“I’ve tried contacting them but didn’t get any help. I’ve also tried going to the bursary office, but all they did was take our details.
“Initially, my hope was ignited, but a week passed without any changes to our status.
“I’ve sent two e-mails so far but didn’t get any response from them. It’s so frustrating as I’ve already registered but can’t get funding,” she said.
The student said she was only funded twice by Nsfas but has since been rejected.
“I don’t know what to do. I’ve lost hope in anything that has to do with Nsfas. I am studying public management. I’m living with a single mother who’s trying by all means to pay for my rent and buy groceries for me.
“Sometimes, I have to find part-time jobs to help where I can. It was frustrating since I was a full-time student who had to balance schoolwork and assignments,” she added.
Unable to write final exams
The student has returned to class without funding because it is her final year and the college is phasing out the R191 business studies courses.
“I have a balance of R5 000 to pay, otherwise, I’m not going to be able to write my final exams,” she said.
Nthatile Selebi, who studied civil engineering at the Tshwane South college and is now busy with her second year in carpentry, said it was very unfair.
She said the students who genuinely need Nsfas were suffering because of delays and missing allowances, while others abuse the system.
“It makes the whole process harder for people who depend on Nsfas to survive.
“Nsfas needs to fix both the fraud and the delays so real students don’t get punished,” she said.
Accommodation payments delays worsened
Selebi said the delays in accommodation payments have also worsened.
“Because Nsfas pays late, some residence managers threaten to evict students, even though the institution is awaiting Nsfas funding. This creates unnecessary pressure and instability for students who have nowhere else to go.”
Selebi said most students were now fully dependent on their parents for food, transport and other daily expenses.
“Many parents are already struggling financially, so this added burden is not sustainable,” she said.
Selebi said the inconsistency in how Nsfas applied funding was concerning. “Engineering students in occupational programmes have been defunded or had their allowances cut, while students in fields such as beauty, bookkeeping and retail still receive full funding, including allowances.
“This raises questions about fairness and about how Nsfas prioritises certain programmes over others, especially when technical and engineering skills are critical for the country’s development.”
‘Uncertainty affects academic performance’
Selebi said other students were equally stressed about late payments, sudden defunding without clear communication and the lack of timely updates from Nsfas.
“The uncertainty affects our academic performance because we spend more time worrying about basic needs than our studies,” she said.
Another person who also did not want to be named said students were being placed where they’re not getting any stipend or transport.
“We’ve been going to the zoo for onsite training since last week, even when we don’t have funding. We’re going because we all want onsite training to be able to acquire our trade tests.
“We’re not the only ones because there are placements made where students’ voices are not being heard,” he said.
On a Nsfas support group on Facebook, the feed is flooded with students asking about the status of applications and the allocation of funds.
Facebook support group flooded with cries
“I am asking someone to help me with toiletries such as pads, Colgate and roll-on.
“Please, people, this school thing is depressing me,” reads one of the cries for help.
“I wish I could go home.
“I’m desperate, please guys, even if it’s open, please help me out.”