Publication of the first draft of the Student Debt Relief Bill

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA

ONLINE EDITOR @KASIBC_AFRICA

Publication of the first draft of the Student Debt Relief Bill

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) announces the publication of the First Draft of the Student Debt Relief Bill, 2025. This is a decisive intervention aimed at confronting the structural crisis of Student Debt in South Africa. 

This is not only a legislative milestone but a continuation of the EFF’s unwavering commitment to the struggle for Free Quality Education for all. On 26 November 2024, the EFF submitted formal notice to the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) of our intention to introduce Student Debt Cancellation Private Member’s Bill. It was officially published in the Government Gazette on 28 February 2025 (Notice No. 5931), inviting public comment and marking the next stage in the fight against the financial exclusion of the most vulnerable and working-class youth in South Africa.

It is reported that over Five Hundred Thousand (+ 500 000) students across the country are shackled by institutional debt.

These are young people who have completed their academic requirements but are denied their qualifications and certificates due to outstanding fees. Their futures are placed on hold, not because they failed, but because they are poor. Student Debt, which stood at R16.5 billion in 2021, has become a tool of exclusion. In 2022 alone, more than One Hundred and Twenty (+ 120 000) students were unable to graduate due to unpaid fees. 

This is the violence of neoliberal education policy, which criminalises the poor and turns public institutions into gatekeepers of privilege. 

The Student Debt Relief Bill, 2025, seeks to establish a Student Debt Relief Fund, through which eligible students can apply to have their Student Debt cancelled and cleared. The Bill will also ensure that all students who have completed their studies receive their qualifications, regardless of outstanding debt. Education is not a commodity, nor should it be a privilege for the select few. Education is a public good, and Basic Right enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of South Africa.  

This is not just an EFF Bill. This is a People’s Bill. It is grounded in the pain, suffering and voices of students who have been locked out, year after year, despite doing everything expected of them. We call on all Vice-Chancellors, Principals, Academics, University Councils, progressive Student Formations, Workers, Civil Society Organisations, and the broader public to engage this draft legislation. The future of higher education is our collective responsibility. 

The EFF has always stood at the forefront of this struggle. From raising the demand for Free Education in Parliament, to standing with students in protest and on campuses, this Bill is a culmination of principled resistance and legislative action. Let us build an education system that does not punish the poor for seeking education. 

MAKEKASIGREAT©®™ @KASIBC_AFRICA