Wealthy families accused of fraudulently claiming student financial aid in South Africa

Tens of thousands of middle and upper-class families are reportedly misusing the National Student Financial Aid Scheme Nsfas in South Africa, diverting funds intended for impoverished students. Witness Maluleka, head of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Limpopo, described this as "black-on-black criminality." Benjamin Rapanyane, a political lecturer at North-West University, warned that this issue could lead to nationwide student protests if not addressed, as deserving students are being denied funding. A final-year public management student at Mthashana TVET college, who wished to remain anonymous, shared her experience of having her Nsfas application rejected within hours, despite her family's financial struggles. She has returned to class without funding for her final year and faces a R5,000 balance to write her exams. Nthatile Selebi, a civil engineering student at Tshwane South college, highlighted the suffering of genuinely needy students due to delays and missing allowances, while others exploit the system. She also noted that accommodation payment delays lead to eviction threats for students. Selebi expressed concern over the inconsistency in Nsfas funding, particularly the defunding of engineering students in occupational programs while other fields receive full support. Many students are stressed by late payments, sudden defunding, and a lack of communication from Nsfas, impacting their academic performance. A Facebook support group for Nsfas is