NSFAS Crisis to Board Scandals: 5 reasons SASCO wants Nkabane out
Sasco cited multiple failures under Nkabane's leadership, including severe delays in NSFAS disbursements, flawed board appointments, chronic underfunding of institutions, and the growing commodification of education.
"It is the direct result of poor governance by the Department of Higher Education and Training and the opportunistic, malicious, and poor bourgeoisie agenda by the university and college management.''
Kamatshe said the crisis facing students today is not incidental.
As previously reported by IOL, Nkabane has faced criticism following allegations of corruption and for allegedly misleading Parliament about the illegal appointment of the SETA board, including false details about the appointment process and panel composition.
Speaking at the ANC's Luthuli House on Sunday, Sasco president Alungile Kamtshe said, 'We contend that DHET, led by Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, within the government of national unity, has consistently failed to deliver on its most basic responsibilities.'
The South African Students Congress (SASCO) has called for the immediate removal of Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane , accusing her and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) of catastrophic governance failures that are driving the higher education sector into crisis.
Sasco accused the Nkabane and her department of gross negligence, illegal conduct, and structural violence that disproportionately harms black, poor, and working-class students.
'We are left with no choice but to take a drastic stance in defence of the education sector that has been built through the blood, sweat and tears of the students and the public servants for over the centuries.''
Here are the five main reasons SASCO believes Minister Nkabane must go:
1. Illegal Appointment of the NSFAS Board
SASCO asserts that the current NSFAS board was illegally appointed, violating Section 5 of the NSFAS Act of 1999, which mandates that three out of thirteen board members must be nominated by national student organisations. The absence of these student-nominated representatives, SASCO argues, renders the board illegitimate and its decisions null.
'The Minister has failed in her duty relating to the appointment of the NSFAS board.To this extent, we declare that that board is illegal,'' said Kamtshe.
SASCO plans to take legal action to compel the Minister to comply with the law.
2. Delays in NSFAS Allowances & Student Exclusion
SASCO slammed the catastrophic delays in NSFAS disbursements, saying that thousands of students are still without their allowances midway through the academic year. Many are reportedly homeless, sleeping in libraries, toilets, or on the streets, while institutions issue exclusion letters.
'This is not just bureaucratic incompetence. It is structural violence. Institutions are merciless and have been dishing out exclusion letters to add insult to injury.'
They demand the immediate payment of all allowances by the end of the current recess, and an end to financial, academic, and accommodation-based exclusions,particularly targeting vulnerable first-year students.
3. Mishandling of SETA Board
SASCO alleges the appointment of Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) boards and Community Higher Education Planning Committees (CHPCs) was riddled with secrecy, misrepresentation, and possible dishonesty to Parliament.
'The Minister may have lied to the Portfolio Committee. The process shows a pure disregard for the citizens of this country.'
They warned that the delay in appointments has created a vacuum, giving executives unchecked power due to the absence of board oversight. SASCO demands that the process to appoint new boards to be restarted immediately and be completed by August 1.
4. Negligence Over Student Housing & the Death of Sisonke
The tragic death of Sisonke, a student at Walter Sisulu University, is central to SASCO's call for accountability. SASCO accuses the Minister's office of spreading misinformation, claiming Sisonke was not a student, only for the claim to be proven false.
'The officials that publicly lied, continue to earn their salaries. The death of Sisonke was in vain.'
SASCO demands justice for Sisonke, and calls for NSFAS to accredit institutionally owned residences, especially in historically disadvantaged universities where students live in unsafe and inhumane conditions.
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Ah, Chief Dwasaho! We do, indeed, live in interesting times, my President. This week, you finally found your backbone, possibly somewhere under the presidential mattress at Phala Phala Game Reserve, and 'removed' someone from your bloated Cabinet. Hhawu, Matamela! You? Fire someone? And not just anyone – uGal herself! Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, once the proud guardian of our nation's knowledge factories, is now reduced to a political footnote without a farewell bouquet. Did you not know, my leader, that 'Brand' Nkabane was a lifetime in the making? A carefully curated blend of ambition, gloss and Instagrammable grace. But alas, what the ancestors giveth, live television taketh away. I cannot unsee that fatal moment: the Honourable Minister's jaws in motion, chewing bubble gum with the vigour of a teenager bunking maths class, right there in Parliament's sacred halls. I am still flabbergasted. 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What did she do that was so egregious? They say her great crime occurred last month when her panel, appointed to oversee the selection of 21 chairpersons and board members for the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) boards, wobbled under relentless public scrutiny. And yes, the 'panel' disappeared quicker than bubble gum dissolving under parliamentary questioning. But really, was that her fault? All she did was remain on brand: deploy cadres and flood the state with African National Congress (ANC) acolytes. In that regard, she followed the sacred text. Just like the Gauteng Department of Health, which has transformed hospital boards into halfway houses for ANC Youth League (ANCYL) 'leaders' with the so-called requisite experience – which, in plain British English, means they once handed out flyers at a branch general meeting four years ago. Whitfield, who? My leader, I hadn't heard of former deputy minister Whitfield before you pulled the trigger. 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It appears comrades there need urgent funds, not for scalpels or syringes, mind you, but for legal fees. Word on the street is some need money for protection from the 28s in prison. Kubi. Theatre of the absurd But what truly baffles me, Comrade Leadership, is the theatre of the absurd now playing out in Parliament's far-left corner – the uMkhonto Wesizwe party caucus. His Worship – sorry, my bad, he now prefers the minimalist title, Dr Mandlakayise John Hlophe – is lobbing fireballs from the backbenches. He's throwing everything but the Nkandla kitchen sink, demanding your removal as if you'd misplaced your oath of office behind the Phala Phala wildlife sofa. And why? Because you had the gall to discipline a minister who got caught being clumsy. I mean, how dare Nkabane get caught? The problem was never the panel; it's that she failed to make it disappear properly. Meanwhile, Honourable Hlophe, a man well versed in being removed, has resurfaced with fury. 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