Parliament alarmed by Fort Hare, UFS crises, student safety and NSFAS failures

Parliament’s higher education committee has raised concerns about governance, infrastructure and student safety at South African universities after widespread unrest and damage at several institutions.

University of Fort Hare ‘deeply concerning’

Speaking during the social services cluster media briefing on Monday, the chair of the portfolio committee on higher education and training, Tebogo Letsie, said the committee’s oversight visit to the University of Fort Hare revealed shocking levels of neglect and mismanagement.

“The university has lost valuable infrastructure, including buildings, ICT, and equipment that are critical for teaching, learning and research, all because stakeholders could not sit together and engage,” said Letsie.

He added that it was “deeply concerning” that it took extensive damage to university property for the management and council to acknowledge and respond to student grievances. The cost of the damage is estimated at between R250m and R500m.

Letsie criticised the university council’s decision to extend the vice-chancellor’s term without consulting the institutional forum, calling it “a troubling confirmation” that participatory governance was being undermined.

He described the state of student accommodation at Fort Hare as “alarming”, saying many residences failed to meet the department of higher education and training’s minimum norms and standards for student housing.

The building is literally moving away from itself. One day, we might wake up and have 2.3A and 2.3B. If the department of labour visited, they would revoke its occupancy certificate immediately

—  Tebogo Letsie, chair of the portfolio committee on higher education and training

“In some residences, there has been no hot water for years due to broken geysers. Every room has what we call a waskom [washbasin] because there’s never been hot water. Students have had to find alternative ways to cope,” he said.

One of the university’s newer residences, known as 2.3, was found to be structurally unsafe. “The building is literally moving away from itself. One day, we might wake up and have 2.3A and 2.3B. If the department of labour visited, they would revoke its occupancy certificate immediately,” said Letsie.

Security issues were also highlighted, with nonfunctional biometric systems and poorly equipped guards. “This poses a significant risk to the safety of students and staff,” he said, noting that the committee had been informed of the deaths of two female students on campus.

Letsie reaffirmed students’ right to protest but urged them to act responsibly. “We condemn any acts of vandalism and destruction of university property. Such actions undermine the very cause they claim to support,” he said.

The committee has recommended that the minister of higher education appoint an independent assessor at Fort Hare to investigate governance failures.

“We engaged with the council for close to 14 hours, and it was clear they had their own issues. The minister should invoke sections 43 and 44 to appoint an administrator.”

‘Security brutality’ at UFS

Turning to the University of the Free State (UFS), Letsie criticised its decision to end provisional registration from 2026, warning it would exclude poor students with outstanding debt.

“NSFAS-funded students who are supposed to be funded for the full cost of study will end up owing the institution because their accommodation costs exceed the NSFAS cap,” he said. “This practice should be investigated because it tactically excludes poor students.”

He condemned what he described as “security brutality” during recent student protests at UFS, saying private guards and police had escalated peaceful demonstrations into violent confrontations.

“It doesn’t make sense to issue eviction notices at night, giving students 24 hours to leave campus when many cannot afford transport home.”

NSFAS ‘colluding’ with service providers

On NSFAS and infrastructure, Letsie said corruption within NSFAS remained a major concern, especially regarding the accreditation of private student accommodation.

“Some NSFAS-appointed accreditors collude with service providers to approve housing that doesn’t meet the minimum standards,” he said.

He urged the financial aid scheme to resolve delayed payments, warning that defunded students could face exclusion in 2026.

‘Shoddy’ contractors in KZN

The committee’s oversight visits to KwaZulu-Natal also exposed severe infrastructure problems.

At the Umfolozi TVET College, Nkandla campus, ceilings were collapsing in residences.

At the University of Zululand, old student housing was “not fit to accommodate students”. Letsie said some buildings lacked maintenance, with:

• broken windows;
• blocked toilets; and
• unsafe structures.

He added that the University of KwaZulu-Natal was paying R30m annually in loan repayments for a decommissioned 800-bed residence that never received an occupancy certificate.

“It’s a serious concern that contractors get away with shoddy work and are never blacklisted.”

Letsie accused senior officials in the department of higher education and training, saying the department must take responsibility for failing to carry out proper oversight at universities.

“The department must take blame for failing to do its oversight work. The committee has suggested that the chair write to the president to move the director-general to another department.”

TimesLIVE