NSFAS under administration: Parliament sets new date for Minister Manamela’s briefing

Cape Town – The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has agreed to reconvene its meeting with Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela over his decision to place the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) under administration.

The committee will now meet on 29 May 2026 after a scheduled session was postponed due to late submission of key documents needed for oversight preparations.

Committee members said they were not given sufficient time to prepare after the minister failed to provide presentations and supporting documents related to the NSFAS intervention. As a result, Chairperson Tebogo Letsie said postponement was unavoidable.

“The committee has recommended that the next meeting be held on Friday, 29 May 2026,” Letsie said. He added that members had also called for “the timeous delivery of documentation about the appointment of the NSFAS administrator, so they can prepare for the meeting effectively.”

Letsie further clarified that claims the meeting was cancelled via a WhatsApp message were incorrect, stating that the postponement was formally communicated through an official letter and through engagement with parliamentary leadership.

The committee emphasised that the minister is required to account for the decision to place NSFAS under administration and to explain the process followed, in line with Parliament’s oversight responsibilities.

Members also accepted NSFAS’s explanation that it could not fund travel for former board members, as they are no longer in office and there may be no legal basis for such expenditure.

Earlier this month, Manamela placed NSFAS under administration, citing governance instability within the student funding scheme.

The committee said the matter remains of “significant public importance,” given its impact on millions of students and the wider higher education sector.