The South African Student Federation (SASF) recently held a protest in Cape Town on 21 May 2025 to address the ongoing challenges surrounding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Despite NSFAS’s efforts to provide financial assistance to thousands of students, the organization faced criticism and challenges, including delays in payments, administrative backlogs, and communication breakdowns.
These issues resulted in students being left without accommodation or meals due to delayed disbursements. Furthermore, corruption allegations and financial mismanagement had tarnished NSFAS’s image in the past. While efforts to digitize the system and improve transparency were ongoing, students remained frustrated.
SASF President, Keamogetswe Masike, announced that the federation had addressed some of the issues students were facing and had given the NSFAS CEO 24 hours to respond to their demands. Deputy President, Themba Dlamini, expressed hope that a meeting between the SASF President and the NSFAS CEO would lead to a resolution, ensuring that student expectations were met and funding was disbursed.
“The expectation was that once our president met with the CEO, we would reach a consensus, and funding would take place,” Dlamini said. The SASF’s stance highlighted the need for urgent action to address the challenges facing NSFAS and ensure that students receive the support they needed to access education.
