Staff Reporter

Kimberly – Tensions are high at the Northern Cape Urban TVET college in Kimberly as students have entered the fifth month without any income from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

Students are struggling to afford necessities, including food and accommodation.

According to SRC President Tshepi Moreotsenye, more than 75% of NSFAS applicants are still awaiting their allowances for transport and accommodation and only 23% who are permanently residing in Kimberley are already in the process of receiving their fourth monthly payment.

Last week students embarked on a protest action to the Central Office and stayed away from school for four days. On the first day of the strike, they handed over their memorandum of demands.

Some of the grievances mentioned by the students include having to walk to campus daily, and having no food to eat, as most of them come from households where parents rely on a social grant.

 Moreotsenye, who is also the head of accommodation, confirmed that students from all 3 campuses are affected as their stipend for accommodation, transport, and food is pending. 

Moreotsenye said the SRC has adopted some of the homeless students who approached them in desperation for assistance.

He says, SRC feels helpless because there is currently nothing that promises the payment will be made by the end of May because only a few of the statuses of the students have changed over the past five weeks.

He said things are moving too slowly for their liking while some are worried that they will be finishing their semester now after the exams but haven’t received their allowances.

“Nothing good was coming out of the meetings, which is why we decided to strike last week.

“It was suspended because we had to be considerate of those writing exams.

“The intentions were for the suspension of all classes until the NSFAS allowances were paid, but a U-turn was made after the Department of Education reportedly announced that those who did not write exams would not get another opportunity to do so.

Concerns were raised that some students have been kicked out of their private accommodation by landlords who don’t believe them.

This has increased absenteeism and possible dropouts.

The majority of the students from the City Campus said that they lately have to walk to and from the township to college daily as they do not have money for transport. 

Some said they were accused by their landlords of pocketing their owed rental money.

They accused the institution of sabotaging their education due to laziness.

A 20-year-old student from De Aar said he is now unable to concentrate and prepare for the exams properly  because he has to hustle for food.

He said he had rented a room in town upon his arrival in Kimberley  in order to be closer to the college, but ended up squatting in a small room in Galeshewe after losing his accommodation due to no funds.

“After explaining my situation to my landlord, it was clear that he did not believe me.  He told me to make way for another tenant who is willing to pay,” said the student.

“I was accommodated by a fellow student whom I met at college because he understands my situation. We are four and cramped in the small room. Two are paying while the other two of us are adopted.”

“We walk to and from college on a daily basis and I have to avoid asking for food as well. It’s hard and embarrassing because when I am hungry I have to ask relatives to send me a few Rands at Shoprite.

“I also don’t want to tell my mother everything because she is unemployed and I assured her that I will get assistance from NSFAS.”

NSFAS has issued a circular earlier in May to college principals where it committed to processing the outstanding 2024/25 payments on 25 to 30 May 2025.

The circular notice leaked to the Journal News signed by Acting Chief Executive Officer Waseem Carrim and addressed to the principal.

It gave clarity that the 2024 allowance pending to TVET learners emanated from the transitional changes of the switch to direct payments partners, and the return of the function to NSFAS during the 2024 academic year.

“This created a complex reconciliation process that needed to be undertaken concurrently to the start of the 2025 academic year. NSFAS is nearing the end of the reconciliation process.”

The SRC president Tshepi Moreotsenye, who is also the Head of Accommodation, confirmed that students from all 3 campuses are affected as their stipend for accommodation, transport, and food is pending.

It was further reported that the status of some of the NSFAS applications was changing from ‘provisionally funded’ to ‘registration received.’ 

Efforts to get a comment from the college were unsuccessful, as the Journal News  was informed that the principal is out of town