Cape town: The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has disbursed R222.7 million to six universities as part of the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme, benefiting 2,927 students, according to a statement from the Ministry of Higher Education and Training.
According to South African Government News Agency, the payment of R222,688,894 was confirmed during a meeting held on Thursday in Cape Town between Deputy Minister Yusuf Cassim, senior NSFAS officials, and the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme team. The recent payments were directed to the Central University of Technology, North-West University, University of Fort Hare, University of Limpopo, University of Pretoria, and University of South Africa. These institutions are now tasked with processing and distributing the allowances to the students.
Deputy Minister Cassim emphasized the necessity for NSFAS to communicate with the institutions to confirm when all Funza Lushaka beneficiaries will receive their allowances. "These payments must now reach students without delay so they can focus on their studies and not have to worry about outstanding allowances that have been pending for months. I appreciate the work being done by the NSFAS and the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme teams to expedite this process," he stated.
The Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme, funded by the Department of Basic Education, provides financial support to students pursuing teaching qualifications at participating universities. NSFAS serves as the disbursement agency, transferring bursary funds to institutions. In the current academic year, 23 universities received a total allocation of R1.3 billion under the programme, covering tuition, accommodation, meals, learning materials, and a living allowance.
Deputy Minister Cassim has been actively engaging with NSFAS to ensure timely payment of Funza Lushaka allowances, following numerous enquiries from beneficiaries about delays. During discussions, NSFAS detailed the claims process, highlighting that numerous claims from institutions remain unprocessed. The payment process takes approximately four weeks, allowing time for verification checks to validate claims.
The Ministry urges institutions to promptly submit their claims to prevent further delays in student allowance distribution. For August, claims amounting to R295,988,585 for 3,095 students have been submitted for processing, with payments expected in September. Additionally, the programme has over half a billion rand in unclaimed funds, with a submission deadline of 13 September for October payments.
The Deputy Minister has instructed NSFAS to contact all institutions with outstanding claims to ensure uninterrupted allowance distribution to Funza Lushaka bursary recipients and to confirm the timely submission of outstanding claims.
To address challenges in the claims process, NSFAS proposed a joint workshop with relevant stakeholders. The workshop aims to tackle structural challenges, automate manual processes, establish effective communication channels with students, and improve alignment and payment timelines. The workshop is scheduled for November 2026, ahead of the next academic year.