By Anita Dangazele
- Noluthando Dlamini receives R1,716 from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme every month to buy food and toiletries in Gqeberha.
- High food and petrol prices in April pushed basic grocery costs higher, forcing Noluthando Dlamini to buy only cheap meals.
Noluthando Dlamini wakes before sunrise in Gqeberha to check her budget. She studies economics at Nelson Mandela University and tracks every rand to see if she can eat.
Dlamini gets R1,716 a month from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). She shares a room in a private residence and her family cannot send money.
“I get R1,716 a month from NSFAS. After groceries and toiletries, it is finished. Sometimes before the 15th,” Dlamini said.
The yearly allowance is R17,160, paid over 10 months. It must cover food, clothes and personal care, but prices keep going up.
“I can’t always buy meat. I mostly buy pasta, pilchards, eggs and rice and maize meal, noodles and sometimes mincemeat,” she said. “I always have to make sure that I at least leave some money to buy bread until the next allowance comes in.”
“My mother sent me what she could when I left home. I make it work. But it is hard to walk into lectures feeling less than your classmates,” she said.
Stats SA says food inflation hit 3.6% in March 2026. Meat prices went up more than 11% in one year.
Fuel increases in April 2026 pushed transport and food costs higher. Petrol increased by R3.06 per litre and diesel went up by R7.51 per litre. Inland petrol prices climbed by R23.25 per litre.
Stats SA says a basic student needs between R1,700 and R2,200 a month. A simple grocery basket costs around R1,500. A moderate healthy food basket costs around R5,277.
Unilever Health says tight budgets stop students from eating healthy food. Students must pay for rent, tuition and utilities first.
The government checks the allowance against inflation every year. Critics say this does not match real prices in cities.
Pictured above: Nelson Mandela University students standing outside Spar supermarket in Summerstrand, Gqeberha.
Image source: Supplied
