NSFAS Board Nominees Should Be Publicly Interviewed By The EFF. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have made a bold demand: they want all nominees for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board to undergo public interviews. This, the EFF argues, is essential to ensure transparency and accountability, particularly in how these individuals plan to protect the funds intended to support students across South Africa.

The Dissolution Of The NSFAS Board

Earlier this year, the NSFAS board was dissolved by former Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, Blade Nzimande. This decision followed months of controversy, including board chair Ernest Khosa taking a leave of absence due to investigations into multimillion-rand corruption allegations. With the board’s dissolution, the scheme was placed under administration, signaling a crisis in governance and oversight.

This development comes at a critical time for NSFAS, as the scheme is in the midst of a nationwide roadshow. The roadshow aims to address several ongoing issues, such as payment delays and accommodation shortages—problems that have plagued the scheme for years. Administrator Freeman Nomvalo, who is leading the roadshow, has promised significant changes to tackle these challenges.

EFF Call For Transparency In NSFAS Board Appointments

The EFF’s student command released a statement on Tuesday, emphasizing the importance of transparency in the nomination and appointment process for the new NSFAS board. The party expressed concerns over what it describes as a “dubious and unethical culture” of appointing board members in secrecy, a practice that has allegedly been prevalent under the African National Congress (ANC) leadership.

Over the years, the higher education community has witnessed Ministers of the ANC appoint NSFAS board members “in corners and behind the shadows,” according to the EFF. This lack of public scrutiny and transparency has contributed to rampant corruption within NSFAS and the institutionalization of patronage in government institutions. The EFF argues that this culture of political secrecy is at the root of NSFAS’s failure to fulfill its basic responsibilities as mandated by the NSFAS Act.

A History Of Corruption And Mismanagement

The EFF’s concerns are not without merit. Forensic reports have revealed that the previous NSFAS board failed to provide meaningful oversight and was even implicated in fraudulent and corrupt activities. This is not the first time the board has been dissolved due to its shortcomings. In 2018, then-Minister Dr. Naledi Pandor also dissolved the board, citing its failures and delays in approving and disbursing funding.

The EFF believes that ethical and transparent leadership is the solution to years of mismanagement, maladministration, corruption, and fraud within NSFAS. The party points to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) as a model for how public engagement and scrutiny should be integrated into the appointment process. NYDA board members undergo a transparent parliamentary process, open to public input—a practice the EFF believes should be adopted by NSFAS.

The Case For Public Interviews

To restore public trust and ensure that NSFAS fulfills its mission, the EFF insists that potential board members must be interviewed in a public forum. The qualifications, expertise, and credentials of these nominees should be made available to the South African public, particularly to the higher education community, which depends on NSFAS for financial support.

The EFF emphasizes that NSFAS oversees an annual budget of approximately R50 billion, a substantial amount of public money. As such, the people of South Africa have a right to know who will be responsible for administering these funds. Public interviews would provide a platform for transparency and allow the public to hold board members accountable for their actions.

Conclusion

The EFF’s demand for public interviews of NSFAS board nominees is a call for greater transparency and accountability in a system that has been plagued by corruption and mismanagement. By opening up the appointment process to public scrutiny, the EFF believes that NSFAS can regain the trust of the South African people and ensure that the funds meant to support students are used effectively and ethically.