DEPUTY MINISTER YUSUF CASSIM INTERVENES OVER DELAYED NSFAS ALLOWANCES AT UNISA
PRETORIA – The newly appointed Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Yusuf Cassim, MP, has launched a direct intervention into the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) payment delays affecting more than 93,000 distance-learning students at the University of South Africa (Unisa).
During a high-level oversight engagement at Unisa's Muckleneuk Campus, Cassim formally handed over a compilation of roughly 100 written complaints gathered via the Deputy Minister’s Helpdesk. The student grievances highlighted widespread frustration over delays in the July disbursement of the R316 Personal Care Allowance, alongside the highly contentious scaling back of vital mobile data allowances.
System Glitch Blamed for Payment Delays
Deliberations between student leaders, Unisa management, and NSFAS representatives revealed that while NSFAS had successfully transferred the bulk funds to Unisa on 2 July 2026, the university suffered a severe internal system glitch. This technical failure temporarily bottlenecked the processing of individual student accounts.
Unisa management confirmed the administrative error was completely resolved on Monday, 6 July 2026, and assured the Ministry that all outstanding student accounts are being actively cleared.
Deputy Minister Cassim strongly criticized the administrative lapse, arguing that vulnerable distance learners should never be subjected to payment delays, particularly given the current harsh economic climate.
"If we are being honest, R316 per month for a distance-learning student, which is less than the Social Relief Grant, is simply not enough given the resources students need to succeed academically," Cassim stated. "However, these are policy issues which can only be changed through the annual policy review change of NSFAS."
Key Operational Takeaways and Action Items
To prevent a repeat of the July payment bottleneck, the engagement concluded with a series of urgent structural directives:
Review of Funding Schedules: Deputy Minister Cassim will formally write to the NSFAS Administrator, Professor Hlengani Mathebula, demanding a comprehensive review of disbursement timelines. Currently, NSFAS transfers funds nearly a week after the start of each month, leaving universities with dangerously thin windows to process individual payments.
On-Site Financial Reconciliation: NSFAS has committed to deploying a specialized finance team directly to Unisa next week to systematically reconcile historical account discrepancies and iron out ongoing misalignment between the two institutions.
Direct Student Engagement: Unisa management has pledged to facilitate a face-to-face town hall between Deputy Minister Cassim and the broader Unisa student body, providing an open forum for students to air their operational grievances first-hand.
Addressing Potential Underpayments: Cassim raised alarming Helpdesk reports alleging that some students received amounts far below their designated R316 allowance. While Unisa denied the claims, they requested the specific case profiles from the Ministry to initiate immediate, individual investigations.
Push for Long-Term Policy Reform
The oversight visit has brought long-standing systemic issues regarding distance-learning models to the forefront. Deputy Minister Cassim noted that the upcoming annual NSFAS policy reviews and the looming overhaul of the NSFAS Act present critical opportunities to address severe funding inequities.
Chief among these concerns is the fact that Unisa students registered for fewer than 10 modules are entirely excluded from receiving allowances, and that distance learners currently receive no institutional support beyond the R316 personal care allocation and a one-off textbook voucher.
Furthermore, Cassim strongly urged the Unisa Council to urgently walk back its decision to scrap monthly student data packages, emphasizing that stable internet connectivity is an absolute prerequisite for distance education.
While welcoming Unisa’s ongoing negotiations with private telecommunications companies for low-cost data partnerships, the Deputy Minister maintained that a firm, consistent monthly allocation must be guaranteed.
Students experiencing ongoing bursary, registration, or allowance issues are encouraged to continue escalating their unresolved cases directly to the ministry via the dedicated email address: Dmsdesk@Dhet.gov.za.
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