AfriForum Youth lodges criminal complaints of misappropriation against NSFAS

AfriForum Youth today lodged criminal complaints against the National Financial Aid Scheme for Students (NSFAS) at the Lyttelton police station in Centurion.

The complaint is lodged in terms of Section 83 of the Public Financial Management Act, after the youth organisation could see in the reports that expose the irregularities at NSFAS in the 2020/2021 and 2019/2020 audits that NSFAS is guilty of serious misappropriation. In 2020 to 2021, NSFAS was solely responsible for the misappropriation of R77,49 billion.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) announced in August this year that they would investigate allegations of maladministration and corruption at NSFAS. However, no one has yet been prosecuted and therefore AfriForum Youth is forced to lodge criminal complaints.

“It is frightening that this large amount of money, which could have been used to provide students in need with the opportunity to study, is so misappropriated. While Blade Nzimande, the Minister of Higher Education, boasts of NSFAS currently funding more than 700 000 students, it is unacceptable for AfriForum Youth that there are still thousands of other students in need who don’t have access to this public funds, because it’s being misappropriated,” says René van der Vyver, spokesperson for AfriForum Youth.