Alminah Ndlovu, 23, a third-year BSc student from Mpumalanga, said she had not been able to pay rent since the year started due to issues with the new system.
Ndlovu, who said her landlord had agreed to allow her to live there for the past eight months, said she fears that one day she will get booted out.
She said the NSFAS funds were her only hope because her parents died when she was still young; she also recently lost her grandmother and aunt due to Covid-19.
Ndlovu said she had made a mistake when initially submitting the lease agreement which she rectified but the payment was still not made.
“It is so difficult and I really don’t know what to do anymore. I’m just lucky that my landlord has been patient and she understands that the process is taking long,” she said.
Mbali Mpantsa, 20, an agricultural science student, said some students had only received R1,500 for the food allowance which they have been forced to use for rent. Mpantsa said she relied on help from her aunt to supplement the amount so she can pay rent and buy food but sometimes she is forced to ask for loans from fellow students.
Coordinator for the EFF student command at the campus, Hani Chepape, said the university was treating students unfairly. “The management is not meeting us halfway. It is embarrassing that they don’t even have a database of the landlords,” Chepape said.
Member of the local landlords association, Maureen Maphori, said she had 56 students under NSFAS living at her accommodation and had not received rent from them. Maphori said she had allowed the students to stay on because most come from struggling families, but landlords were starting to feel the pressure.
Maphori said she was among those who submitted lease agreements and other documents for verification but the university was not making payments as agreed. “This is putting the landlords and students in a very difficult position,” she said.
The university’s executive director for marketing, Victor Kgomoeswana, said the issue was that landlords and students do not want the money paid directly into the accounts of accommodation owners. Kgomoeswana said NSFAS introduced the policy after noticing possible fraud with some students giving false addresses, while others used the money for other things outside of rent.
He said reasons for requesting lease agreements and verifications were communicated during a meeting with landlords earlier this year. Kgomoeswana said a team from NSFAS had been sent to the university to assist with resolving the issues.
He said students had the right to express their concerns, but it was disappointing that they have to resort to destruction of property. He said the university was yet to quantify the extent of the damage caused during the protest.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
Failure to submit signed leases delayed NSFAS payment, striking Limpopo varsity students told
Image: Zoe Mahopo
Some students at the University of Limpopo are on the brink of being evicted from their off-campus accommodation because they have not paid rent since the year started as disagreements over National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds unfold.
Violent protests broke out at the university’s main campus in Mankweng on Wednesday night as students, who are being backed by landlords, took to the streets to demand payments, leading to the destruction of property with some storage buildings being partially torched.
The university’s management has blamed the chaos on a failure by landlords to comply with NSFAS requirements, something that landlords and students have denied is true.
It seems the issues arose earlier this year when the varsity announced that the R1,800 meant to cover off-campus accommodation for NSFAS students would be paid directly into the bank accounts of landlords. This is in accordance with NSFAS rules aimed at curbing fraudulent behaviour, according to the university.
Yesterday, the situation had calmed down with some students walking to class while others who live on campus could be seen leaving with their suitcases amid fears that the rioting could start again.
Alminah Ndlovu, 23, a third-year BSc student from Mpumalanga, said she had not been able to pay rent since the year started due to issues with the new system.
Ndlovu, who said her landlord had agreed to allow her to live there for the past eight months, said she fears that one day she will get booted out.
She said the NSFAS funds were her only hope because her parents died when she was still young; she also recently lost her grandmother and aunt due to Covid-19.
Ndlovu said she had made a mistake when initially submitting the lease agreement which she rectified but the payment was still not made.
“It is so difficult and I really don’t know what to do anymore. I’m just lucky that my landlord has been patient and she understands that the process is taking long,” she said.
Mbali Mpantsa, 20, an agricultural science student, said some students had only received R1,500 for the food allowance which they have been forced to use for rent. Mpantsa said she relied on help from her aunt to supplement the amount so she can pay rent and buy food but sometimes she is forced to ask for loans from fellow students.
Coordinator for the EFF student command at the campus, Hani Chepape, said the university was treating students unfairly. “The management is not meeting us halfway. It is embarrassing that they don’t even have a database of the landlords,” Chepape said.
Member of the local landlords association, Maureen Maphori, said she had 56 students under NSFAS living at her accommodation and had not received rent from them. Maphori said she had allowed the students to stay on because most come from struggling families, but landlords were starting to feel the pressure.
Maphori said she was among those who submitted lease agreements and other documents for verification but the university was not making payments as agreed. “This is putting the landlords and students in a very difficult position,” she said.
The university’s executive director for marketing, Victor Kgomoeswana, said the issue was that landlords and students do not want the money paid directly into the accounts of accommodation owners. Kgomoeswana said NSFAS introduced the policy after noticing possible fraud with some students giving false addresses, while others used the money for other things outside of rent.
He said reasons for requesting lease agreements and verifications were communicated during a meeting with landlords earlier this year. Kgomoeswana said a team from NSFAS had been sent to the university to assist with resolving the issues.
He said students had the right to express their concerns, but it was disappointing that they have to resort to destruction of property. He said the university was yet to quantify the extent of the damage caused during the protest.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
Violent protest breaks out at University of Limpopo's main campus
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos