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Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela seen during a meeting with the Wits management.
The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela says they are working with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to ensure that all student accommodation debt is settled.
Manamela was visiting Wits University in Johannesburg to ensure that the institution is prepared for the 2025 academic year.
He has also urged private accommodation providers not to prejudice any students whose accommodation has not been paid by NSFAS.
“I had a long meeting with senior members of NSFAS, some of those commitments include ensuring that we mop up the debt that is owed to private accommodation providers so that we start on a clean slate. They have indicated to me that they have started with payment for most of those beginning of this year. This is a big issue where private accommodation providers prejudice students. We want to use this opportunity to call on them to deal with NFSAs and not prejudice students.”
Deputy Minisiter @ButiManamela, is today conducting an oversight visit to @WitsUniversity in Braamfontein.
The purpose of the oversight visit is to assess the state of readiness of the PSET institutions for the 2025 academic year.#2025AcademicYear #DHET pic.twitter.com/vH3Hd9y3j6
— HigherEduTrainingZA (@HigherEduGovZA) February 24, 2025
VIDEO| Other institutions including UJ say they are working to ensure students are accommodated:
Meanwhile, the university has extended the registration deadline to close of business on Tuesday after a meeting between the university’s management and the Students’ Representative Council.
According to the university, it was agreed that they would consider the registration of academically deserving undergraduate students with an outstanding debt of less than R150 000.
Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel says both parties also agreed to seek assistance from private accommodation service providers, to sponsor additional beds to be allocated through the Hardship Accommodation process.
“Students who have a debt of less than R150 000 are allowed to register, provided that they get assistance from both the Hardship Fund and the SRC’s Legacy Fund. Now, the hardship fund is worth R28 million and basically it helps students to register and to find emergency accommodation. We also fundraised an extra R11 million with the SRC last year to accommodate all these students who will now be allowed to register. The second is the SRC fund, whatever the SRC fundraises, we match that as a university, by getting other donors to to come on board.”
