The chairperson of parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education and training, Tebogo Letsie, has defended the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) cap on student accommodation costs, saying student leaders should be challenging high accommodation fees instead of opposing the limit.
Letsie’s comments come after student representative councils (SRCs) at the University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg and Stellenbosch University issued a joint statement calling for the NSFAS accommodation cap to be scrapped.
The NSFAS introduced the cap in 2023 to prevent private accommodation providers from inflating prices. The accommodation cap is now about R52,000.
Letsie said he did not understand why student leaders appeared to be defending the cost of accommodation instead of questioning why universities and accommodation providers charged such high prices.
“If these costs cannot be reasonably explained, why is the focus on criticising the NSFAS for attempting to regulate student accommodation prices, instead of addressing what appears to be excessive pricing by some institutions and accommodation providers?” he said.
Defending exorbitant costs without demanding accountability only weakens the fight for affordable, accessible higher education
— Tebogo Letsie, higher education and training portfolio committee chair
He urged student leaders to examine whether accommodation charges were fair, transparent and served the best interests of the students.
“Defending exorbitant costs without demanding accountability only weakens the fight for affordable, accessible higher education.”
He also said he could not recall receiving a request from the SRCs for a meeting with the committee to discuss the accommodation cap.
According to Letsie, most members of the portfolio committee support implementation of the NSFAS accommodation cap, saying it is intended to regulate student accommodation prices in the post-school education and training sector while promoting affordability and fairness for students.
“However, we welcome the discussion on this matter and we have scheduled a colloquium on student accommodation for August 28, during which national student organisations, including the South African Union of Students and the South African Technical Vocational Education and Training Student Association, will be invited to represent the voice of students, particularly on matters relating to the student accommodation cap.”
Letsie said he hoped student representatives from universities involved would take part in the discussions and contribute their views on the future of the accommodation cap.
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