The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) yesterday said robust consultations have been held between the scheme and the South African Union of Students (SAUS) to mitigate the challenges affecting the country’s public universities.

This follows countrywide protests by students at various institutions of higher learning against a new accommodation cap of R45 000 per annum.

NSFAS spokesperson Slumezi Skosana said during a meeting held in Gauteng on Monday, NSFAS management and the leadership of SAUS agreed that SAUS would assist the scheme in collating details of students who do not have accommodation and are allegedly sleeping in public places.

“The scheme is also engaging universities in a bid to receive credible information to fast-track the process. In the meantime, NSFAS is in the process of identifying alternative accommodation to be provided within the stipulated rate of R45 000 per annum,” Skosana said.

The priority will be the universities affected by the accommodation cap; the University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Rhodes University and Sol Plaatjie University.

Skosana noted that where necessary, NSFAS will have to take extraordinary measures to ensure that NSFAS-funded students are not left stranded due to skyrocketing accommodation costs.

SAUS leadership has made an undertaking to contact all SRCs in affected universities to supply the information. – SAnews.gov.za