By Celani Sikhakhane
The King of the Abathembu region has joined students in their fight over the failure of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to pay them their NSFAS housing allowances.
King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo met with the students of the KSD TVET College in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape last week where he called on the landlords of student residences to allow the students to stay while they wait for their funds to be paid by NSFAS.
Landlords kicked the students out over the non-payment of their rent.
The King slaughtered a cow for the students when they came to his palace and told him they were hungry because they did not have money to buy food.
King Buyelekhaya promised he would fight on the students’ behalf.
“I will engage with the Department of Higher Education to fix this [NSFAS] issue because it deeply affects me and my nation,” he said.
Students countrywide have been affected by the NSFAS funding crisis.
The fight started in KwaZulu-Natal at the Amajuba TVET College in Newcastle on 5 April where students clashed with police after stoning the convoy of Minister Blade Nzimande.
The students there told Scrolla.Africa that problems arose after NSFAS decided to deposit their accommodation grants directly with private landlords.
They claim that instead of the landlords taking their rent of R700 from the R4,000 allowance paid to them by NSFAS, they only give students back R1,400.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Veli Mbhele, said that Nzimande is well aware of the crises and has prioritised resolving them.
“Regrettably, not all TVET colleges and universities have complied with the 15 March deadlines for the submission of registration data to facilitate the payment of allowances.
“The failure to comply with the deadline by some TVET colleges and universities has contributed to the latest sporadic student protests,” said Mbhele.
Pictures above: King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo.
Image source: Instagram
