{"id":99304,"date":"2025-07-23T16:26:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T14:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=99304"},"modified":"2025-07-23T16:26:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T14:26:03","slug":"sasf-minister-nkabanis-removal-a-victory-but-students-still-suffer-under-nsfas-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/sasf-minister-nkabanis-removal-a-victory-but-students-still-suffer-under-nsfas-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"SASF: Minister Nkabani\u2019s Removal a Victory, But Students Still Suffer Under NSFAS Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n23 July 2025 | 16:18 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo by Keletso Mkhwanazi<\/p><\/div>\n

The sacking of Higher Education Minister Nthubuhle Nkabani has been met with applause from student bodies across South Africa, but the South African Students Federation (SASF) warns that \u201cdeep cracks\u201d in the higher education sector remain unresolved.<\/p>\n

President of SASF, Keamogetswe Masike, described the removal as \u201ca victory for all young people in South Africa,\u201d but questioned its impact. \u201cWe were excited because on numerous occasions, we attempted to engage the department,\u201d said Masike. \u201cOur memorandum on NSFAS and student accommodation fell on deaf ears.\u201d<\/p>\n

He revealed that despite a national shutdown on June 25, where students from across the country marched to submit their grievances, the promised face-to-face meeting with the former minister was cancelled at the last hour. \u201cIt became clear we were dealing with ignorant and incompetent people who avoid accountability,\u201d Masike stated.<\/p>\n

Minister Nkabani\u2019s tenure was marred by repeated NSFAS payment failures, delays in student allowances, and housing crises. \u201cI\u2019ve just received letters from students being evicted. NSFAS is refusing to release their allowances,\u201d said Masike, highlighting how many students remain stranded at home as the second semester begins.<\/p>\n

The appointment of new Minister Buti Manamela brings little comfort. \u201cHe\u2019s not new. He was part of the previous failed administration,\u201d Masike remarked. \u201cWe\u2019re not expecting miracles, but he knows the dynamics. He must act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Masike also called for the end of institutional autonomy that universities use to avoid responsibility. \u201cThese are public institutions, not private companies. Yet they commodify beds and access to resources like Wi-Fi and transport,\u201d he said. \u201cThey withhold certificates due to student debt. Fees haven\u2019t fallen. In fact, they\u2019ve risen since 2015.\u201d<\/p>\n

SASF has called for an amendment bill in Parliament to scrap historical debt, which Masike says traps graduates in unemployment.<\/p>\n

Addressing corruption, Masike pointed to \u201ccartels and gangsters\u201d who have hijacked public institutions. He cited fintech companies appointed in 2020 to manage NSFAS disbursements despite lacking experience who charged students \u201cexorbitant levies\u201d to access their allowances. \u201cIt\u2019s theft, and it happens at all levels,\u201d Masike said.<\/p>\n

Despite the leadership change, student leaders maintain that the struggle continues. \u201cWe\u2019ve won a small battle, but the war is far from over,\u201d Masike concluded.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up<\/em> <\/a>with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Keamogetswe Masike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 23 July 2025 | 16:18 CAT The sacking of Higher Education Minister Nthubuhle Nkabani has been met with applause from student bodies across South Africa, but the South African Students Federation (SASF) warns that \u201cdeep cracks\u201d in the higher education sector remain unresolved. President of SASF, Keamogetswe Masike, described […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":99305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSFAS.jpg?fit=653%2C383&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-pPG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-16 03:28:48","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}