GEORGE NEWS - Students at South Cape TVET College’s George campus staged a second protest on Wednesday 2 September over delayed National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allowances.
The protest arose amid confusion over the payment arrangements communicated by NSFAS for the last half of the year. Some students say they have not received their first allowance payment for the second semester.
NSFAS has since issued a circular (Notice No 11), dated 8 September, stating that while its earlier circular (Notice No 10) had referred to two allowance payments during the September payment cycle, only one could be processed. The outstanding July 2026 allowance payment is now scheduled to be processed in October.
NSFAS confirmed that students enrolled in second-semester programmes qualify for five months of allowances for the 2026 academic year. The revised payment schedule provides for a normal allowance payment on 25 September, followed by a double payment on 25 October, consisting of the normal payment and the July catch-up payment. A final normal allowance payment is scheduled for 25 November.
The announcement follows the protest at the George campus, where students gathered at the Hibernia Street entrance during the morning, blocking the road with tyres and rocks. Police were summoned and calm was restored, with students later returning to class.
One student, who asked to remain anonymous, said some students had still not received their first allowance for the semester, while others had received only part of the amount.
“Some only got half. So students were protesting because we were fooled and told that the issue was resolved the first time we protested,” the student said.
The latest protest followed a demonstration by students on 5 August, when a group went to the George Police Station to lodge a complaint against college management. At the time, students alleged that college management had entered into rental agreements in their names for accommodation at a hotel in Wilderness without their permission, while they already had accommodation in George and were awaiting NSFAS funding to pay their landlords.
Responding to questions about the latest protest, acting communications assistant director Marnus de Klerk said in response to students' dissatisfaction, college management had sent urgent correspondence to NSFAS executive management on 31 August, requesting immediate clarification on when the outstanding allowances would be processed and paid.
De Klerk said living allowances are handled by NSFAS and paid directly to students. “We fully acknowledge the severe financial strain this delay places on our students regarding living expenses and accommodation commitments, and resolving this matter remains our absolute priority.
“We remain committed to maintaining open lines of communication with student leadership."
The latest NSFAS circular also sets out payments to accommodation providers. It provides for an eighth accommodation disbursement on 30 September, followed by the ninth and tenth disbursements as a double payment on 1 November.
The circular states, "Any outstanding accommodation payment claims for the 2026 academic year will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Accommodation providers must submit all claims relating to unpaid 2026 accommodation by 30 November 2026. These claims will be reviewed and processed, with a mop-up payment anticipated for mid-December 2026."
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