University of Limpopo students who reside at rented facilities outside the campus have accused the university management of not paying their off-campus allowances.
The students met with the institution’s management on Wednesday, following protests on Monday over the matter.
Disgruntled students say NSFAS off-campus allowances that are paid into accounts of landlords have not been paid for three months.
Some of the students say they were removed from campus residences during the hard lockdown.
They want the university to allow the return of more than 6 000 students back to campus residences.
EFF Student Command Leader, Khutjo Mamabolo, says the majority of the residences on campus are not occupied.
“After a period of two months into the academic year, students have not yet received their off–campus allowances. So, as a result, we saw a need as political leaders to take it to the streets, to fight against the injustices which are occurring in our institutions, whereby it is life for the management as usual, but the students are struggling to cope with the academic life. Because they are not repatriated back on campus and they can’t even find rooms off campus because of off-campus allowances,” says Mamabolo.
University Spokesperson, Kwena Masha, says NSFAS off-campus allowances are only paid to accredited accommodation facilities.
“The university manages quite a number of allowances and but amongst those, it is NSFAS and this was the main one and we indicated that NSFAS has some conditions under which they provide off-campus allowances, and one of those conditions is that each private accommodation, each private facility must be accredited and to be accredited, you must comply with certain directives. Unfortunately, given where the university is there are going to be those facilities that cannot be accredited.”
Discussion on NSFAS funding systems for the 2021 academic year:
Meanwhile, the university plans to start allowing the safe return of first–year students to residences on Monday.
