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OUTA commends SIU for recovering millions owed to NSFAS

todayFebruary 9, 2024 43

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Civic organisation, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, says it hopes that the payment of NSFAS student’s historic debt will be done swiftly to ensure a seamless start to the academic year.
OUTA’s remarks come at the back of the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) presentation to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), which revealed that the investigations agency has recovered more than R737 million during its NSFAS investigation.
The figure includes over R688 million in unallocated funds still held by several institutions.
NSFAS has been accused of failing to put proper controls in place to ensure the reconciliation between the funds disbursed to the institutions and the allocation of those funds to the students.

OUTA’s Investigations Manager, Rudie Heyneke, blames these weaknesses for the current student payment mess.

According to the SIU, 40 000 students owe the fund at least R49 million and more than 4 000 parents have already been interviewed in efforts to get the money back.

The SIU plans to refer evidence of criminal conduct to the NPA for further action.

Below are the funds recovered so far from institutions of higher learning:

West Coast College — R5,057,679.00;
Northlink College- R33,369,404.97;
Walter Sisulu University — R19,900,174.00;
Nkangala TVET College — R342,672.50;
University of Johannesburg — R311,892,088.94;
University of Zululand — R58,088,144.65;
University of Pretoria — R200,000,000;
Majuba TVET College — R25,902,309.31; and
University of Mpumalanga- R33,668,138.56.

Written by: Nokwazi Qumbisa

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