Earlier in the month of April 2023, students at the Sefako Makgatho University (SMU) protested after around 250 of those who are funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) did not receive their allowances from January 2023 when their classes commenced.
These students said that they had contacted NSFAS with some even travelling from Gauteng to the Western Cape to visit the NSFAS offices.
The general consensus amongst students was that SMU and NSFAS were blaming each other and this caused a lot of frustration.
During the protests SMU's SRC President and Secretary General was suspended even though the South African Union for Students (SAUS) spokesperson Asive Dlanjwa said that the protest was peaceful and the only violence that occurred was when students were beaten by the private security at the institution.
After SAUS worked with the SMU SRC, the union says that the issues faced by students at the university have been satisfactorily resolved.
Those students who did not receive NSFAS allowances have now received their funding. SAUS has acknowledged the response by SMU's management and NSFAS to the issues raised by the union.
The SRC President, Secretary General and two other students who were suspended have had their suspensions revoked by SMU as of 10 April 2023. SAUS has condemned the brutality of the university towards its students and the victimisation of student leaders.
The union has stated that it will continue to monitor developments regarding NSFAS issues at SMU and all other universities.
