NSFAS to Host Roadshows to Address Accommodation Allowance Issues and Enhance Efficiency

Freeman Nomvalo, NSFAS Administrator, announced that these roadshows will begin in KwaZulu-Natal on August 7, 2024.

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) will be conducting a series of roadshows across South Africa to directly address concerns from landlords regarding outstanding payments for student accommodation allowances. Freeman Nomvalo, NSFAS Administrator, announced that these roadshows will begin in KwaZulu-Natal on August 7, 2024.

In recent months, NSFAS has made significant progress, processing bulk catch-up payments for all legitimate accommodation claims, with disbursements reaching R1 billion as of July 31, 2024. Despite this, some landlords continue to express dissatisfaction, particularly over delays in payments.

Nomvalo emphasized the importance of timely payments as a critical issue for accommodation providers. He plans to engage with all key functions responsible for student data and private student accommodation during these roadshows. University and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector representatives have also been invited to collaborate on resolving these issues.

To stabilize and improve NSFAS operations, Nomvalo outlined several ongoing projects:

Organisational Re-engineering and Re-alignment Project: This initiative aims to develop a new resource allocation model to better fit NSFAS's needs and functions, enhancing overall efficiency.

ICT and Business Processing Review Project: This project seeks to create a more efficient ICT system with improved data sharing and application management between NSFAS, universities, and TVET institutions.

Regionalisation Feasibility Study: NSFAS will assess various regionalisation models to determine the most cost-effective and accessible approach for beneficiaries.

Nomvalo also addressed concerns about procurement irregularities, including the direct payment mechanism. NSFAS is collaborating with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and National Treasury to address these issues and review supply chain management policies. A secondment from Treasury is being considered to assist with procurement process improvements.

Additionally, NSFAS will implement registers for irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure for the 2024/25 financial year. These measures aim to ensure compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and enhance transparency in the use of public resources.

Nomvalo assured that NSFAS is committed to resolving these challenges and improving its operations to better serve students and stakeholders.