SIU recovers over R700m from tertiary institutions as part of extensive NSFAS probe
The SIU on Wednesday told parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts that it’s making significant progress in clawing back funds since it started investigating maladministration and corruption at the scheme.
CAPE TOWN - The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said it’s already recovered almost R700 million from tertiary institutions as part of an extensive probe into the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
It’s also signed acknowledgement of debt agreements worth almost R50 million with students who erroneously received money or didn’t qualify for assistance.
The SIU on Wednesday told Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (SCOPA) that it’s making significant progress in clawing back funds since it started investigating maladministration and corruption at the scheme.
The SIU said it’s already visited 58 tertiary institutions - four of them universities - to get back money institutions have erroneously been paid from the NSFAS.
On Tuesday, the University of Mpumalanga paid back R33 million bringing the total amount recovered from institutions so far to R688 million.
A total of 40, 000 students also owe the fund at least R49 million and over 4,000 of their parents have already been interviewed to get the money back.
SIU head Andy Mothibi says it’s not his intention to criminalise students.
"But it is our responsibility to point out where monies were provided and they were provided in instances where students did not qualify."
Mothibi says the SIU is regularly evaluating new corruption complaints to determine whether they can be investigated under the current proclamation.