A striking scene unfolded at a Cape Town TVET College as students, grappling with the ongoing NSFAS accommodation crisis, crowded the campus seeking shelter, on Thursday.
Stranded students seek emergency shelter at Cape Town TVET College
PLEASE NOTE: The third-party content below is shared on our platform for journalistic purposes. Swisher Post, its parent company, partners and affiliates shall not be held liable for any consequence that arises from the journalistic duties performed in sharing this content.
This scenario is not new; NSFAS has been in the spotlight for its handling of accommodation applications, especially as the academic year 2024 approaches.
The higher education fund has faced criticism for its inability to adequately address students’ needs.
In an attempt to address past shortcomings ahead of the upcoming academic year, NSFAS launched a pilot accommodation project at 23 TVET colleges and 23 universities.
The pilot, NSFAS explained, was aimed at ensuring “student accommodation service providers provide student accommodation that is accessible, decent, safe and academically conducive for all students.”
However, as the disturbing footage, which you can watch below, will show, the pilot has all but failed to take off.
Students have expressed their frustration and desperation, with some resorting to sleeping in public libraries and police stations due to the lack of suitable accommodation.
“We just want a place to sleep and study,” one student remarked
The NSFAS’s previous accommodation policies have been a topic of debate.
In 2022, the scheme allowed students to stay in residences costing up to R5 900 per month. However, this amount decreased in 2023, with NSFAS introducing a R45 000 annual limit on accommodation allowances and a policy that does not cover accommodation fees for students completing modules that account for less than 60 credits.
Despite these challenges, NSFAS has reiterated its commitment to resolving these issues.
The organisation’s efforts, however, seem to fall short in the face of the growing demand and the urgent necessity for adequate student housing.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has since called on NSFAS to suspend the pilot project “before it turns into a crisis.”
“OUTA can confirm that we have been alerted to this by concerned accommodation providers who are still – at this very late stage – waiting to hear whether NSFAS has approved their accommodation for returning and new students.
“We are aware of students in Cape Town who have been spending the last two weeks sleeping on the streets since the NSFAS accommodation portal won’t allow them access to look for available accommodation. Landlords, in turn, are not allowed to give students access to accommodation without pre-approval by NSFAS,” the lobby group said in a statement.