NSFAS Laptop scandal: Nehawu dodges accountability – again

6 November 2020

Following their explosive presentation before the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology in October regarding the alleged misconduct related to a R2.5 billion National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) laptop tender, Nehawu appears to now have backtracked as they have missed their last two scheduled appearances before Parliament pertaining to these allegations.

Nehawu was expected to appear before the Committee today to brief Parliament on these allegations, but failed to appear.

In their previous interaction with the Committee, the union alleged the interference of a Special Advisor of Minister Blade Nzimande in the procurement process. The DA finds it suspicious that Nehawu has now for the second time pulled out of this meeting, soon after their “negotiations” with the Minister about NSFAS employer/employee relations.

Could it be that the Minister’s meetings with Nehawu was simply a smokescreen to coerce the union into protecting those implicated in corruption and fraud at NSFAS? If this is the case, Nehawu has sold out thousands of students who were meant to benefit from this laptop project, as well as the countless others who have been excluded from tertiary education opportunities due to the ongoing governance failures at NSFAS.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will push for the Portfolio Committee to establish an inquiry into the state of affairs at NSFAS as well as to investigate these allegations of misconduct in the NSFAS laptop tender. If the inquiry is established, it should prioritise the following:

Ask that the Auditor-General finalise the audit outcomes and brief the inquiry on the financial status of NSFAS;

Subpoena the Ministerial Task Team tasked to review the NSFAS business processes;

Subpoena Minister Nzimande;

Subpoena Nehawu to account on the laptop scandal and other allegations;

Subpoena the Director-General of the department to give a detailed report on the tender;

Subpoena the NSFAS Administrator and executive leadership; and

Invite NSFAS employees or members of the public that have any information or evidence on alleged fraud, corruption and maladministration.

It is becoming clear that many of the challenges at NSFAS is a result of political interference, which must be rooted out. As the Parliamentary Committee responsible for oversight of NSFAS, we cannot drag our feet and have a responsibility towards millions of students to get to the bottom of this malfeasance and provide a solid way to stabilize the entity.

We need to get NSFAS back to a functional, efficient and effective provider of financial aid to poor students, but for that to happen, we need to get to the bottom of these allegations.

Lastly, those who are found to be in involved in fraud and corruption must be charged and investigated, and face the full might of the law.

Issued by Baxolile Nodada, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, 6 November 2020