Manamela Must Account For Placing NSFAS Under Administration

Statement by Dr Delmaine Christians MP – DA Spokesperson on Higher Education and Training:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, urgently requesting that the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr Buti Manamela, appear before the Committee to account for his decision to place the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) under administration, justify the appointment of Professor Hlengani Mathebula as the administrator, and provide a clear, long-term outline of his proposed plan going forward.

Soon after assuming the role of Minister of Higher Education and Training in the latter half of 2025, Manamela pledged to stabilise NSFAS within three months and to establish a sustainable model for it. In less than a year after this promise was made, Manamela placed NSFAS under administration on 4 May 2026.

The Entity has been placed under administration twice before, in 2020 and 2024, and there are strong doubts about whether a third intervention would be effective. Manamela’s choice of Professor Mathebula as administrator is also questionable, given his troubled history at SARS. There are also concerns about whether he is the right person for the role.

We have previously advocated for replacing NSFAS with a new decentralised system that grants institutions direct control over funding, removes ineffective intermediaries, and guarantees students receive support quickly and reliably.

Currently, this uncertainty and confusion are creating a cloud of doubt over NSFAS and the hundreds of thousands of young South Africans who depend on this funding for tuition, accommodation, and food. We call on the Minister, who previously pledged to stabilise NSFAS within three months, to appear before the Committee and explain his decisions, and provide a long-term outline of his proposed plan going forward.