The DA has publicly challenged Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela to use an address at the Press Club to disclose full details of decisions that placed the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) under administration and to answer mounting questions about how the administration has been run.
The opposition party said students are missing essential NSFAS payments for accommodation, food and books while the minister remains distracted by an administration that the DA described as having "lurked from scandal to scandal." The party also criticised the minister’s failure to provide clear answers at a parliamentary oversight meeting.
"The Minister must, without hiding the truth, come clean to the people of South Africa about his decisions to place the multi-billion Rand NSFAS under an Administrator," the DA said in prepared soundbites supplied in English and Afrikaans.
What the DA wants answered
The DA listed a set of specific questions it says remain unanswered following the minister’s appearance before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee. The party said the committee meeting ran into the early hours — continuing until after 02:00 — and that critical matters were still not clarified.
- Why was NSFAS placed under administration?
- How was Professor Hlengani Mathebula selected as the Administrator and what is the agreed remuneration structure?
- Why did the Minister propose a proposed remuneration of R5.5 million annually for Prof Mathebula, which National Treasury reportedly rejected?
- How and why were four "advisers" appointed to advise the administrator, and what process was followed?
- Why are these advisers sending invoices through private companies, reportedly amounting to almost R500,000 in fees?
- Why is the administrator approving invoices from private companies to pay the fees of his advisers?
Parliamentary scrutiny and student impact
The DA said the minister failed to provide clear answers to these critical questions at the Portfolio Committee meeting. The party tied the governance concerns directly to operational failures, saying students are currently struggling because NSFAS payments for accommodation, food and books have not been made.
The DA described the proposed remuneration structure for Prof Mathebula as "outrageous" and said it was so offensive that National Treasury overrode the minister and rejected the proposal. The source material indicates National Treasury intervened in the remuneration decision, but does not provide further detail about the nature of that intervention or subsequent steps.
| Issue | Detail (from DA soundbites) |
|---|---|
| Administrator appointed | Professor Hlengani Mathebula (selection process questioned) |
| Proposed remuneration | R5.5 million annually (reported rejection by National Treasury) |
| Advisers | Four advisers appointed; invoices channelled through private companies, almost R500,000 in fees |
| Student payments | Missing accommodation, food and book payments (students described as desperate) |
The DA further questioned whether companies with no contractual relationship with NSFAS were able to invoice the entity and asked if those invoices were processed. The source material does not include responses from Minister Manamela, NSFAS management, the administrator or National Treasury beyond the DA’s claims.
Context and next steps
The DA has given the minister a public platform — the Press Club address — as the opportunity to set out the rationale for placing NSFAS under administration and to explain the selection and remuneration of the administrator and advisers. The party argues transparency is necessary because the administration affects student livelihoods and the stewardship of a multi‑billion‑rand public institution.
At this stage the available material is limited to the DA’s challenge and its account of the parliamentary meeting. No response from the minister or NSFAS is included in the documentation supplied with the DA soundbites. The DA’s questions point to governance, procurement and financial oversight issues that, if substantiated, would require responses from the minister, NSFAS and National Treasury.
Reporting is ongoing. Details provided here are taken from the DA’s prepared soundbites and account of the parliamentary proceedings. Further comment from Minister Manamela, NSFAS and National Treasury was not included in the material supplied by the DA.
