Statement by Dr Delmaine Christians MP – DA Spokesperson on Higher Education and Training:
The DA has today written to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to present a report on the accreditation of private student accommodation and account for failures on the ground.
This follows NSFAS’ transition to an online accommodation portal, through which payments to private accommodation providers are now facilitated via appointed “solution partners”, rather than universities or students. These solution partners are not only responsible for facilitating payments, but are also tasked with accrediting private accommodation providers on behalf of NSFAS. NSFAS promised the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education & Training and South Africans that there would be no disruptions to accreditation and payments.
The situation on the ground speaks differently, which NSFAS must account for. Oversight visits, including various Student Representative Council (SRC) submissions, have highlighted ongoing failures, including unpaid accommodation centres, unsafe living conditions, inadequate security, and poor maintenance, despite accommodation centres being “accredited” to meet Departmental basic standards.
The DA is deeply concerned and angered that vulnerable students are being forced to live in unsafe and degrading conditions because of NSFAS’ failures.
With the new system having removed universities, students have also struggled to seek accountability for poor living conditions. Through the Democratic Alliance Student Association (DASO), we have been actively compiling these cases, which we will present to NSFAS to answer for.
Rook
Fun South African Fact: South Africa is the only country in the entire world that has voluntarily abandoned its nuclear weapons programme.
NightDream
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”