Friday, 12 April 2024: The South African Communist Party (SACP) welcomes the decisiveness with which the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Professor Blade Nzimande has responded to the situation plaguing the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

On Thursday, 11 April, the minister announced he has dissolved the scheme’s board with immediate effect and will today detail the legal effect of the decision through the Government Gazette and on Sunday, 14 April, convene a special media briefing to explain the rationale for the decision.

The NSFAS is facing crisis-engendering challenges. This affects the disbursement of funds to the scheme’s beneficiaries. We are looking forward to the minister’s media briefing. This should cover information on the steps to be taken against universities that upload erroneous data to the scheme’s system, among others resulting in incorrect student allowance amounts being paid or causing delays in payment.

The tendency of some universities where this occurs is to not take responsibility for their actions but to pass the buck to the minister or even the NSFAs. This must be tackled decisively through accountability mechanisms and student mobilisation.