Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has moved to reassure students that funding and allowances will continue uninterrupted, despite the decision to place the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) under administration.
The Minister announced the intervention following persistent governance and operational challenges within NSFAS.
Addressing a media briefing on Monday, Manamela cited governance instability, audit failures, ICT system breakdowns, unresolved student appeals, and accommodation shortcomings as key reasons for the move.
READ | NSFAS placed under administration
He emphasised that the decision is aimed at stabilising the institution rather than disrupting its core functions.
“The administration is not intended to disrupt NSFAS operations. Student funding will continue, allowances will continue, appeals processes will continue, and universities and TVET [Technical and Vocational Education and Training] colleges will continue engaging NSFAS operationally.
“The purpose of the intervention is precisely to protect continuity and restore confidence,” the Minister said.
The Minister stressed that NSFAS is one of the most important public institutions in South Africa's democratic project, as it enables students from poor and working-class backgrounds to access tertiary education and training opportunities.
“For many families, NSFAS is not an abstract institution; it is the difference between exclusion and opportunity, between hope and despair,” he said.
Manamela said any instability within NSFAS has far-reaching implications, affecting not only universities and TVET colleges but also students, households, communities, the fiscus, and broader public confidence in the democratic state ability to advance social justice.
“It is for this reason that government has a responsibility to act when the effective functioning of the institution is seriously undermined,” he said.
As part of the intervention, Manamela has appointed Professor Hlengani Mathebula as Administrator of NSFAS. Mathebula brings more than three decades of experience in governance, financial management, regulatory oversight, and institutional leadership across both the public and private sectors.
The Minister reiterated that the administration is a temporary but necessary intervention to restore institutional credibility, operational effectiveness, and public confidence in NSFAS.
“The administration is not intended to disrupt NSFAS operations. It is about protecting students, stabilising a critical public institution, restoring accountability, and ensuring that NSFAS performs its mandate effectively and lawfully,” Manamela said. – SAnews.gov.za
