NSFAS steps in to help students who got evicted

MBOMBELA – NSFAS spokesman Phatisa Ntlonze said to clarify matters, they made an upfront allowance to institutions during the first disbursement run in February. “This amount was sent to the colleges which had the capacity to disburse allowances to students. In some cases, colleges requested that the NSFAS take over the payments of allowances via its wallet, as they were struggling to pay everyone.”

The upfront payment of R1 950 per student was intended to be applied to two months’ transport and personal care. “NSFAS is currently processing payments for top-up allowances for the two months for those who have private accommodation. However, in order for NSFAS to make accommodation payments, accurate registration declaration was required from colleges.”

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She said on Tuesday that Ehlanzeni forwarded an updated declaration. However, information for students from two campuses, namely Mapulaneng and Barberton, were incomplete.

“As things stand now, 137 students from Mapulaneng have received allowances on Tuesday.” She added that the NSFAS has engaged the student representative council (SRC) and campus management in the current accommodation crisis and would provide further support to resolve this situation before the end of this week.

“It should be noted that the administrator had previously engaged private accommodation service providers to explain the NSFAS allowance structure and the payment schedule.”

The scheme’s administrator, Dr Randall Carolissen, said an agreement was reached that NSFAS-funded students will not be required to pay deposits for accommodation. “Furthermore we emphasise the need for all private accommodation service providers to obtain institutional accreditation to ensure that the welfare of students remain a priority.

“At the time of this statement, campus management was engaging with landlords to resolve this matter,” concluded Carolissen.