South Africa

Manamela

Cape Town – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed serious concern following the collapse of a planned Portfolio Committee meeting scheduled to take place at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) headquarters.

The meeting was meant to receive a briefing from the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, on the decision to place NSFAS under administration in terms of Sections 17A to 17D of the NSFAS Act.

However, the session could not proceed after both the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and NSFAS failed to submit the required presentations ahead of the engagement.

According to DA spokesperson Dr Delmaine Christians MP, the minister had only recently requested additional time to finalise and “quality assure” his presentation, despite having had weeks to prepare.

“Minister Manamela has had weeks to prepare for today. The DA questions what Manamela is trying to hide from Parliament and the public of South Africa,” Christians said.

The absence of the necessary documentation effectively halted the oversight process, which the DA says raises broader concerns about transparency and accountability in the handling of NSFAS affairs.

Former board members 

In a separate development, NSFAS administrator Professor Hlengani Mathebula raised objections regarding the participation of former board members in the meeting. He argued that they no longer hold office and therefore should not be included, adding that NSFAS may not legally cover their travel and related costs.

These developments, the DA says, point to an escalating governance and legal crisis within NSFAS, with Parliament increasingly drawn into institutional instability and disputes over procedure and accountability.

The party further argued that the decision to place NSFAS under administration was intended to stabilise the institution, but has instead been followed by court action, governance disputes, and delays in parliamentary oversight.

“Within days, the matter has escalated into court action, governance disputes, delayed accountability to Parliament, and now the collapse of a critical parliamentary oversight engagement,” the DA noted.

Administrative failures

The party maintains that Parliament must not be obstructed in exercising oversight over a public entity that manages billions of rand and plays a central role in student funding across South Africa.

Reiterating its broader position, the DA has renewed its call for NSFAS to be scrapped in its current form, proposing instead a decentralised funding model in which accredited higher education institutions manage student funding directly.

According to the party, such a system would reduce administrative failures, improve accountability, and limit governance and payment inefficiencies.

The DA says South Africans deserve full transparency on the circumstances that led to NSFAS being placed under administration, as well as clarity on whether the intervention is stabilising the institution or deepening its ongoing crisis.

Picture: Instagram/ Buti manamela

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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi