NSFAS to probe harassment allegations at accommodation providers

The National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has vowed to conduct a full-scale probe against some student accommodation service providers.

This follows allegations of exploitation and sexual harassment of vulnerable students stranded to secure accommodation.

Mainstream news and social media platforms have shown some returning students at various campuses sleeping in the corridors and bathrooms after their accommodation contracts with NSFAS were terminated as they owe previous year’s accommodation rental that NSFAS did not pay.

NSFAS spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi says those implicated will be dealt with accordingly.

“By Friday, we will have our preliminary findings on these investigations. And from there take measures. And there are two measures that we are going to take. Should we establish the truth to these claims. Instantly, we are going to blacklist that accommodation provider. And secondly, we are going to take the students to police to open a case against that provider.”

Mnisi says NSFAS is in the process of settling all the outstanding payments that relate to students’ registration and accommodation as a matter urgency.

He says all students’ accommodation providers have been advised not to terminate services for students whilst the matter is still being resolved.

“We said once we are still waiting for registration list from yourselves let no student from NSFAS suffer. We are engaging with all relevant bodies. On top of that on the 31 January we issued a circular advising them that let all NSFAS funded students be accommodated and registered as some of them might not have the money.”