The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has warned of a looming student accommodation crisis. This it says is due to the NSFAS’s slow pace of accrediting student accommodation.
OUTA says out of the 497 000 beds, NSFAS has only managed to accredit 25 000. Accommodation providers must register their beds with NSFAS which the scheme inspects for compliance in line with minimum standards and norms as set out by the Department of Higher Education.
OUTA released its investigation report of what it says is yet another alleged tender irregularity at NSFAS. OUTA’s Rudie Heynek says the slow pace of accreditation will lead to thousands of students having no accommodation. Heynek says they have submitted their findings to the SIU.
“We investigated the student’s scheme accommodation tender and found several irregularities. The majority of the 39 service providers NSFAS appointed do not meet any of the requirements set out by NSFAS themselves. They lack the required skills and experience and we found some dubious appointments. The evaluation process of accreditation agents showed similar irregularities that were found by Werksman’s when they did an investigation into the direct payment solution. OUTA has submitted its findings and recommendations to the SIU currently investigating NSFAS on a proclamation issued by the president in 2022.”
In November, SABC News reported on some NSFAS recipients from the Letaba TVET College in Tzaneen, Limpopo, that have been using their accommodation allowances to rent accommodation at the densely populated Talana hostel to save money.
Most of the students stay in shacks and endure the noisy hostel that has limited access to running water and ablution facilities. There are no NSFAS-accredited accommodation facilities in town, with limited rental units that aren’t targeted at the working class.
Source: eNCA
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