The students, who live in unaccredited accommodation, have reportedly gone without accommodation allowances since the beginning of the year
Central University of Technology. Picture: File
The Central University of Technology (CUT) has committed to urgently paying accommodation allowances to 1 392 students at its Welkom Campus following an intervention by Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Yusuf Cassim.
The students, who live in unaccredited accommodation, have reportedly gone without accommodation allowances since the beginning of the year, leaving some facing the risk of eviction.
The commitment follows Cassim’s visit to the Welkom campus on Tuesday, where he met affected students and CUT management over the ongoing delays in processing their allowances.
Students left without allowances
The Ministry of Higher Education and Training said the 1 392 affected students had initially been assured by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) that the issue would be resolved.
Cassim had previously raised the matter with Nsfas administrator Professor Hlengani Mathebula during a meeting in Cape Town on 14 July.
A delegation subsequently visited CUT to assess the situation, after which a payment plan was agreed and communicated.
However, further administrative processes resulted in only 260 allowance payments being confirmed, leaving most of the affected students without financial support.
Cassim stressed the urgency of the matter and said it was concerning that students faced possible eviction because of continued delays.
He then read out a Nsfas letter authorising CUT to make direct payments to the affected students.
“What the letter says: ‘Nsfas hereby approves the requested deviation for the 2026 academic year only, allowing affected students to remain in accommodation and receive an accommodation allowance of R2 500 per student per month,'” Cassim said.
“The allowance is payable to the students, as per Nsfas’s deviation approval letter.”
CUT ordered to act urgently
The deputy minister urged CUT to use the student information and banking details it already has to make the payments directly.
“This is the most efficient approach,” Cassim said.
The Nsfas approval applies to the 2026 academic year and directs the institution to ensure that students living in both accredited and unaccredited accommodation have conditions conducive to academic success.
CUT vice-chancellor, Professor Pamela Zibuyile Dube, committed to ensuring the allowances are paid directly to students as quickly as possible.
The ministry said the administrative process to facilitate the payments would start immediately.
Bloemfontein accommodation concerns
The accommodation concerns are not limited to CUT’s Welkom campus.
Students at the Bloemfontein campus also raised concerns about the condition and location of some accredited accommodation.
According to the ministry, students reported that some accommodation was in poor condition, while other residences were located close to nightlife and drinking establishments.
Cassim requested that these concerns be included in a report on the suitability and quality of accredited student accommodation.
The report will be sent to his office and the student accommodation section of Nsfas for further investigation.
