There are serious concerns about the urgency of access to student accommodation for South African students enrolled in higher education institutions. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) pilot project to overhaul the student accommodation allocation process appears to be a ticking time bomb, according to the Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa).
Rudie Heyneke, head of investigations at Outa, highlighted that this change to NSFAS’s accreditation and management of student accommodation has disrupted a well-functioning system. As a result, many students find themselves without adequate housing, forced to live in precarious conditions.
The situation has worsened in recent weeks, with more than 100 students forced to squat in the multipurpose hall of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology campus for lack of residence places. This housing crisis pushed the university management to request an exemption from the pilot project for the year 2024.
Faced with media pressure, NSFAS promised short-term solutions by visiting institutions sensitive to this issue, including CPUT, Buffalo City TVET College and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The aim of the pilot project is to ensure that NSFAS only funds suitable accommodation for students, thereby avoiding situations where students are forced to live in unsuitable conditions.
However, the testimonies of students in Johannesburg, particularly at Horizon Heights, as well as the criticisms issued by the South African Students’ Congress at the University of the Western Cape, demonstrate a lack of coordination between the actors involved in the management of student accommodation .
Outa warned NSFAS in December 2023 about the risks of this housing crisis, highlighting flaws in the service provider accreditation process. If this situation continues, Outa warns that students could be led to protest to demand their right to decent and secure housing.
At the same time, NSFAS announced the release of R2.8 billion in January 2024 to cover the costs of one month of accommodation and books for students. However, it is imperative that long-term measures are taken to ensure adequate accommodation for all South African students, thereby ensuring conditions conducive to their learning and academic development.