Kaya 959 Point of View with Phemelo Motene

NSFAS in Turmoil as Board Chair Quits, Citing Racism, Bullying and “Collapse Risk”

Loading player...
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has been plunged into crisis after board chairperson Dr Karen Stander dramatically resigned, accusing the Higher Education Department of interference, racism and threats to her family. In a scathing letter to Deputy Minister Buti Manamela, Stander warned that NSFAS was “on the brink of collapse” due to serious governance failures. She detailed 16 incidents of alleged interference and procedural breaches, involving acting CEO Waseem Carrim and department officials. Stander says governance has been “compromised” since the board took office - from irregular CEO appointments to ministerial meddling in board committees. Phemelo speaks to Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Tebogo Letsie, on what this means for students and the future of NSFAS.
3 Nov 3PM English South Africa Education · Careers

Other recent episodes

Judgement for the Women of Afghanistan Tribunal

A major human rights moment unfolds in The Hague on 11 December as the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan delivers its final judgement. The Tribunal led by the Permanent People’s Tribunal and Afghan civil society documents the Taliban’s systematic violations of women’s rights and the crime of gender…
11 Dec 3PM 18 min

Localised Breach in 2025 NSC Exams Confirmed

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has confirmed a contained, localised breach in the 2025 National Senior Certificate exams and says the system worked exactly as it should. Markers picked up irregularities in six English Home Language Paper 2 scripts, prompting an investigation after Gauteng officials first flagged suspicious similarities to…
11 Dec 3PM 10 min

DA Challenges City of Joburg Over Unfunded R10bn SAMWU Deal

The DA has formally written to the City of Johannesburg demanding answers over a politically brokered SAMWU agreement that could bind the City to an unfunded R10 billion commitments until 2027. Though council was told the deal depended on “available funds,” the DA says no such funds exist — raising…
10 Dec 3PM 26 min

DA’s Legal Threat Clouds NDPP Interviews

The Democratic Alliance threw a curveball at the start of Wednesday’s interviews for South Africa’s next NDPP, with Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi revealing the party’s lawyers had threatened an urgent court interdict to stop the process. Kubayi dismissed the move as “misguided,” saying the urgency was “self-inflicted” and that government…
10 Dec 3PM 15 min

Brand SA Launches ‘Justice in Your Hands’ Amid GBV Surge

With femicide up 33.8% and more than 7.3 million women having faced physical violence, Brand South Africa has launched its “Justice in Your Hands” campaign to drive national support for GBV survivors. The campaign follows the President’s declaration of GBV as a national crisis and aims to boost awareness of…
10 Dec 3PM 12 min
All episodes