The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has provided an update on its investigation into allegations of student exploitation by private landlords. This follows a Sunday World article that claimed some landlords demanded sexual favours from students in exchange for accommodation.
NSFAS confirmed that Thekwini TVET College said the student referenced in the article is not registered at the institution. This has made it difficult for the government bursary scheme to authenticate the claims made by the student and provide support.
The Thekwini TVET College has confirmed that the student referenced in the Sunday World article is not registered with the institution, making it difficult to verify the authenticity of the incident or provide direct support to the individual involved.
NSFAS also urged affected students to report incidents to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and share case numbers with the scheme. The scheme said no formal cases have been reported to date.
The government bursary scheme stated their investigation would be reopened and appropriate action would be taken should credible information emerge.
We encourage any students who have experienced similar incidents to report the matter to the SAPS and obtain a case number. Thereafter, students should report the violation to NSFAS via [email protected] so that appropriate interventions can be made.
NSFAS reiterated its strong condemnation of any form of exploitation, harassment, or gender-based violence against students.
The government bursary scheme warned that such behaviour would not be tolerated and that landlords found guilty of misconduct would face blacklisting and termination of their NSFAS accreditation.
Students who have experienced incidents are encouraged to report the matter to SAPS and obtain a case number. They should then report the violation to NSFAS via [email protected] to ensure appropriate interventions are implemented.
