‘Million or billion?’: NSFAS late and unprepared for Higher Education Committee briefing with Stellenbosch University

By Emma Giles

Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Rectorate, Council, Institutional Forum and Students’ Representative Council (SRC) appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training (PCHET) last month. After arriving late, National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) representatives reported figures that were inconsistent with SU. The SRC gave insight into the challenges and potential solutions they foresee concerning NSFAS-related negligence. 

According to Tebogo Letsie, the Chairperson of the PCHET and a member of Parliament, NSFAS had made an upfront payment of around R6,2 billion to institutions at the beginning of the year as they were “caught up in a legal battle with the people that were distributing allowances”. NSFAS tasked universities with distributing allowances directly to students this year, said Letsie.

Allegedly some institutions had withheld payments and “lied to students that NSFAS had not paid”. Lestsie said delaying these allowances makes students, particularly young women from impoverished backgrounds, extremely vulnerable to exploitation or crime.

What does NSFAS owe SU?

At the briefing on 29 April, Manie Lombard, the Chief Director of Finance at SU, provided an overview to the members of the PCHET of the amount NSFAS owes SU. He said that for 2025, the university claimed R597 million from NSFAS. However, SU only received R302 million, leaving an outstanding balance of R296 million still owed to SU.

SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Deresh Ramjugernath, said in his presentation that this forms the larger portion of the overall amount of R730 million that NSFAS owes SU from 2017 to 2026. He said that outstanding student fees at SU have increased by 60% from 2024, amounting to R1 120 882 290 on 31 December 2025 and R454 million of this increase was attributable to money NSFAS owed to SU.  

^{A slide from Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Rector and Vice-chancellor, Prof. Deresh Ramjugernath’s, presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on 29 April. The slide provides the amounts SU expected and received from NSFAS from 2017 to 2026. Sourced: Parliamentary Monitoring Group meeting report} 

The SRC Chairperson, Pulane Mtshali, also presented to the Committee that NSFAS owed SU around R300 million for 2025. This allowance shortfall required an estimated R28,7 million institutional cash flow intervention affecting 4 394 students. “The NSFAS delays directly affect whether students can buy books, eat, travel and participate academically,” said Mtshali. Prof. Ramjugernath also confirmed that for 2026 SU has 4 121 registered NSFAS students. 

NSFAS response 

Letsie requested NSFAS to respond to the outstanding fees presented by SU’s management and SRC.

^{Mthetheleli Ndaba, an Account Administrator at NSFAS, at the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training briefing with Stellenbosch University (SU) on 29 April. Sourced: YouTube / Parliament of RSA Social Services Cluster}

Mthetheleli Ndaba, an Account Administrator at NSFAS, who arrived late, said that he wanted to respond to the issues raised by SU representatives. “I will start with the outstanding of R2,8 million that was not paid in 2025,” he said.

Letsie interrupted Ndaba: “You said about R2,8 million? The number that came from this side was about R300 million.” 

“It’s R300 million?” asked Ndaba. 

“R2,8 million and R300 million is a big gap,” said Letsie. 

Ndaba checked his computer and began again. “I have done some summary of what was claimed and what we have processed and what was the delay of the amount that was not paid,” said Ndaba.

According to Ndaba, NSFAS received a claim from SU for about 4 474 students with a total claimed amount of around “R5.8.4 million” in total for 2025. Ndaba continued to outline “categories of exclusions” for why amounts were not paid but was interrupted by Letsie for another “point of order”.

Letsie then asked Ndaba to repeat the reported numbers to which Ndaba said the amount was “5.9.400.9”. Lestise then asked “million or billion?” Ndaba paused to check his computer and said, “Million. R5,98 million.” Letsie said “that can’t make sense” and explained that those numbers would mean the university claimed R1 380 per student which did not align with any known tuition fee amounts. 

“Maybe fix your report,” said Letsie and then suggested that Lombard and Ndaba have a working session during the lunch break to compile a comprehensive, reconciled report. This was not provided by the end of the day. 

^{Tebogo Letsie, the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Higher Education and a member of Parliament at the Committee briefing with Stellenbosch University (SU) on 29 April. He is requesting that the NSFAS representatives “fix [their] report” due to incorrect figures presented. Sourced: YouTube / Parliament of RSA Social Services Cluster}

Ndaba apologised for the inconsistencies by saying, “I had to do this while I’m sitting here by trying to pull information from the system and see what exactly we have received and what was the reason because there are a few reports that are being sent by the institution to say, this is the number of students that were not paid and not migrated to 2026.” 

Ndaba then listed some reasons for exclusions and said, “It’s kind of those exclusions that they ended up making NSFAS not pay that are now resolved, then they have to be paid on the final round of 2025.” 

SRC overview on NSFAS issues  

Mtshali presented to the Committee on behalf of the SU student body. 

Mtshali said, “A big challenge that we face at the institution is NSFAS.” Key challenges highlighted by Mtshali included: 

1. SU has not received a fixed classification on its status as a rural or metro system, resulting in a waiting period each year where allowance amounts are uncertain;
2. Administration failures such as incorrect document flags, outdated household income data, and academic eligibility errors;
3. The NSFAS appeals process being dysfunctional and inaccessible to students due to portal failures, closed windows or prolonged unresolved cases;
4. Funding approvals not guaranteeing financial access as students are eligible for funding but not receiving tuition payments, allowances, or accommodation and transport support;
5. Outstanding debt NSFAS owes SU of around R300 million for 2025; and
6. Poor communication and limited support structures where students face unanswered emails, inaccessible call systems and inadequate assistance from NSFAS offices.

^{A slide from Stellenbosch University (SU) Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Chairperson, Pulane Mtshali’s, presentation at the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training briefing with SU on 29 April. This slide outlines the key challenges for students identified by the SRC. Sourced: YouTube / Parliament of RSA Social Services Cluster}

According to Mtshali, of the 5 930 NSFAS students assessed in 2025, 4 460 were classified as eligible for funding, but only 1 704 were provisionally funded. “This leaves 2 756 students caught between eligibility and actual financial access,” she said.

Another major issue highlighted was accommodation. Students “trade safety and proximity in order to secure more affordable housing within the NSFAS cap” by finding accommodation in surrounding areas such as Idas Valley, Cloetesville and Kayamandi. According to Mtshali, landlords in these areas deliberately set rental prices just within the NSFAS allowance, “effectively maximising what students are able to afford under the subsidy”. 

She also highlighted the students in the missing middle as a significant issue, namely those that are not eligible for NSFAS but still cannot afford the cost of tertiary education. 

SRC recommendations to SU and Parliament 

Mtshali provided a list of recommendations for SU related to NSFAS which included:

1. Publish regular reports on student debt and financial exclusion;
2. Establish a central NSFAS case management dashboard;
3. Publish NSFAS allowance disbursement schedules and provide weekly updates;
4. Assign case owners to unresolved NSFAS cases; and
5. Provide unofficial academic records for NSFAS appeals and funding corrections.

^{The Stellenbosch University (SU) Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Chairperson, Pulane Mtshali, (left) and Sinawo Sangovana, the SRC Treasurer General (right) at the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training briefing with SU on 29 April. They presented recommendations to SU and Parliament regarding NSFAS-related issues. Sourced: YouTube / Parliament of RSA Social Services Cluster}

Sinawo Sangovana, the SRC Treasurer General, also added recommendations not just for the university, but for the Committee. He asked that the Committee “intervene in NSFAS guideline delays to ensure earlier signing off, before registration commences” as these delays create significant “uncertainty” and “mental stress” for students. 

Sangovana asked that NSFAS publish “clearer timelines on funding lists, appeals and allowances disbursements” and “ensure that students are not prejudiced” by system failures. 

“There are a lot of issues that have not been resolved. And the SRC doesn’t have a full picture of what’s happening. We would love that the Committee tries to mediate between the university and NSFAS to make sure that these ongoing issues are resolved because they are a matter of urgency,” said Sangovana.

“Your wish is our command,” said Letsie. 

Outcome 

According to the meeting summary from the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, “The university must provide a breakdown of outstanding NSFAS amounts by category, distinguishing between unpaid tuition, accommodation costs, and student allowances, and must confirm the number of withheld certificates attributable to NSFAS-funded students specifically.”