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NSFAS Logo.
Workers at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) braved the cold weather in Cape Town to embark on their first picket in Cape Town this morning as they gear up for a possible full-scale strike.
Protesting outside their offices, workers say they suffer under incompetent management. The government entity has been plagued by financial and governance challenges for years.
Cold and windy Cape Town weather did not deter NSFAS staffers from going to the picket lines. They say their grievances have fallen on deaf ears.
“Such as the system’s dysfunctionalities at NSFAS, which at large, are impacting on the disbursement of allowances to students, the lack of policies for the many years. We’ve been trying, to management, to say NSFAS is currently using outdated policies, lack of business processes, the maladministration of the scheme. You would recall that even last year NSFAS was under the administration as a result of the board’s failure to perform the oversight and the incompetence of most of the executives of the scheme,” says Linda Mcetywa, Nehawu branch chairperson.
Other staff members also voiced their frustration.
“We have incompetent leadership, toxic environment, that is demoralized. You can’t say it’s the people at the bottom that are causing it,” a stuff member said.
“Many times we have tried to speak out about issues affecting students. Like the system being broken. This is something we have been talking about all these years. Every time you raise it, it is cast aside,” a stuff member explains.
“(We have) been trying to avert this action because we know the ramifications to students, like processing payment for accommodation. Which we are also crying foul, because there are so many service providers in the entity that do nothing, but go home with millions. We want the minister to start with an investigation,” another stuff member said.
NSFAS Spokesperson for, Ishmael Mnisi, could not be immediately reached for comment.
