South Africa: Minister Seizes Control of Broken Student Aid Scheme

Julia Evans/GroundUp
University of Johannesburg students believe it’s unfair that classes started without students having financial access to books and food due to delays in NSFAS payments (file photo).
4 May 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Dylan Bettencourt

The national government has seized full control of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

The student fund suffers from deep financial, operational and governance failures.

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela stepped in on Monday to stop the total breakdown of the fund.

He appointed Professor Hlengani Mathebula as the new administrator. Mathebula takes over full control of NSFAS right away.

The takeover follows a long period of instability. The fund has suffered from board resignations and systemic breakdowns.

Manamela said the government must step in when an organisation stops working. He said the problems at NSFAS hurt the entire country.

"NSFAS therefore has implications not only for universities, but for the democratic state," he said.

"It is for this reason that the government has a responsibility when the effective functioning of the institution is compromised," Manamela said.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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