Holomisa calls for Nzimande to resign over years of crises at NSFAS

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has called on higher education minister Blade Nzimande to resign over years of crises at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

Holomisa said his party noted the furore around NSFAS' new financial aid direct banking system which angered students because of the high bank charges.

“It is clear all is not well at NSFAS with the auditor-general making damning findings against them in the 2021/2022 financial year and it has not tabled its annual report of the previous year before parliament,” he said.

Holomisa requested the auditor-general to make its findings on the NSFAS financials for 2022/2023 public. 

“We commend the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse for their investigation into NSFAS and the allegations of corruption and maladministration in the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Sseta) since 2018,” he said. 

“The UDM would also like to know what the Hawks and the Special Investigating Unit have done about the report we made to them in February 2023 about the R2m NSFAS rental scandal.

“The portfolio committee on higher education has failed to properly investigate the failures within the NSFAS, Sseta and the department.”

Holomisa said, as in the case of Bosasa, NSFAS and Sseta were being used as “cash cows for some political parties”.

“Given the years' long crises at NSFAS and Sseta, the UDM calls for the resignation of Blade Nzimande. The crisis at the Walter Sisulu University is deepening and we call on President [Cyril] Ramaphosa to dispatch a task team to attend to the matter.”

Nzimande gave the NSFAS board until August 30 to tell him how they plan “to correct all the challenges” around the direct payment system of allowances to beneficiaries.

The public protector’s office told TimesLIVE it is investigating the awarding of a contract to service providers by NSFAS to make direct payments to students in universities and technical vocational education and training colleges.

The Stellenbosch University students' representative council wrote to the public protector asking her to look into the awarding of the contract to eZaga, Coinvest Africa, Tenet Technology and Norraco Corporation.

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