By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Student financial aid scheme NSFAS says it will take steps to try and resolve the ongoing student accommodation crisis at various tertiary institutions across the country.
Students at several universities have been protesting against newly introduced R45 000 per year accommodation cap.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education Buti Manamela told Parliament on Wednesday that the department is concerned about the violent nature of some of the protests in institutions.
NSFAS on Thursday said robust consultations have been held between the scheme and the South African Union of Students (SAUS) to mitigate these challenges.
NSFAS spokesperson, Slumezi Skosana, said during a meeting held in Gauteng on Monday, NSFAS management and the leadership of SAUS agreed that SAUS would assist the scheme in collating details of students who do not have accommodation and are allegedly sleeping in public places.
“The scheme is also engaging universities in a bid to receive credible information to fast-track the process. In the meantime, NSFAS is in the process of identifying alternative accommodation to be provided within the stipulated rate of R45 000 per annum,” Skosana said.
The priority will be the universities affected by the accommodation cap, and these include the University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Rhodes University and Sol Plaatjie University.
Skosana noted that where necessary, NSFAS will have to take extraordinary measures to ensure that NSFAS-funded students are not left stranded due to skyrocketing accommodation costs.
SAUS leadership has made an undertaking to contact all SRCs in affected universities to supply the information.
Meanwhile Wits University said it has met with the student representative council (SRC) where both parties agreed to de-escalate the situation.
The SRC also called a media briefing on Wednesday, where they announced a 24-hour “ceasefire” but attached three demands they wanted Wits University to meet.
Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel said both parties agreed to continue with engagements in order to try to resolve matters as soon as possible.
“We will continue with talks as we try to find a way forward. For now, the blended approach to teaching and learning will continue.”
Elsewhere students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) reignited their protests on Thursday evening.
This was after the university said it would not scrap fee blocks for students with historic debt.
On Thursday evening, students held demonstrations on upper campus and burnt tyres as police maintained a heavy presence.