By Simamkele Vanda
Funding has been restored for 182 Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) students who were incorrectly defunded under the N+ rule, after the university corrected a series of qualification code errors that had blocked their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursaries.
TUT confirmed the restoration on Friday, 12 September 2026, and said September allowances had been paid in full. The students’ details were drawn from a file compiled by the Helpdesk of Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Yusuf Cassim, which received more than 300 self-reported cases from TUT students.
“Although these issues might seem administrative, for students they are highly personal, affecting their ability to register, access allowances for meals, transport, or accommodation, and continue their studies,” Cassim said during a visit to the TUT campus on Wednesday, 9 September.
During that visit, the Deputy Minister, accompanied by officials from the department’s university branch and NSFAS, met with Vice-Chancellor Professor Tinyiko Maluleke and the SRC. It emerged that the code errors were only one part of a wider breakdown. A total of 1,212 students who were placed in accredited accommodation after the NSFAS portal closed had not had their accommodation costs paid. A further 115 students whose funding was approved after the portal shut faced the same problem.
“One legitimate student beneficiary who is not receiving their allowances for one month, is one too many,” Cassim told the meeting.
Nationally, NSFAS has reinstated funding for 3,234 university students and 2,476 TVET college students, with payments beginning on 25 August 2026. At TUT, 16 resolved dual-registration cases remained unfunded, the Deputy Minister’s office disclosed.
Cassim wrote to the NSFAS Board immediately after the TUT visit, requesting an investigation and urgent assistance for all outstanding accommodation and dual-registration cases. Cape Flats News independently verified the restoration figures through TUT’s financial aid office and the Deputy Minister’s Helpdesk on Friday.
The Helpdesk will continue monitoring outstanding claims and expects a progress update early next week.