Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela warns that South Africa’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) faces an unsustainable funding model, with a projected shortfall growing to about R33 billion by 2029. The warning is linked to NSFAS’s ability to meet its financial obligations under the current structure.
The outlet reporting the development focuses on the scale and trajectory of the gap, using the projected increase to highlight the urgency of a funding rethink. It does not provide extensive detail on the causes of the shortfall or on specific policy changes being proposed. Other aspects—such as which elements of the model are seen as driving the deficit and whether adjustments are imminent—are not specified in the available source excerpt.
Overall, the report centers on the minister’s assessment that the financing approach cannot continue at its current level, pointing to the projected shortfall as the key indicator.
