A National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) accredited accommodation in Stellenbosch is allegedly contravening Stellenbosch University (SU) guidelines for accredited accommodation by charging NSFAS-funded students a deposit on their rent.
Sinegugu April, a student at SU who currently resides at Melrose Square, claimed that she has to pay a deposit. Melrose Square is listed on SU’s website as NSFAS-accredited.
”We are required to pay a deposit over the period of three months. So, that is R5 900 divided by three. The agent explained that paying the deposit will be required,” claimed April.
The guidelines set out by the university for accredited accommodation state that “no upfront deposit is required upon proof of NSFAS funding”.
Melrose Square is one of 218 National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) accredited accommodations that Stellenbosch University (SU) lists on their website. In this apartment block, 40 units are set aside for NSFAS-funded students, according to the accredited list found on the SU website. PHOTO: Tamara Wicomb
Accredited guidelines
“The accreditation guidelines are published on the university’s website and are very clearly communicated to the landlords when they apply for accreditation,” said Brigetta Joubert, head of student accommodation at SU, via email correspondence with MatieMedia.
Students who wish to report any National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) accredited accommodations who do not adhere to Stellenbosch University’s (SU) guidelines or criteria may send an email to privateaccomm@sun.ac.za, according to Brigetta Joubert, head of student accommodation at SU. PHOTO: Tamara Wicomb
When students are approved for NSFAS funding, “the agents/landlords are reminded that they are not allowed to ask a deposit from a NSFAS student in NSFAS accredited accommodation and, if they do, they will be removed from the NSFAS accredited list”, stated Joubert.
If a student is aware of a landlord or agent who is not adhering to the guidelines, an email can be sent to the university and “a follow-up will be done and feedback given directly to the student”, said Joubert.
“Students are encouraged to contact nsfas@sun.ac.za or to book an appointment at Admin A to report landlords who are NSFAS accredited but are charging tenants deposits,” said Viwe Kobokana, SU Student Representative Council (SRC) Chairperson, via email correspondence to MatieMedia.
When asked why cases like this might go unreported, Ena Benting, another Melrose Square resident who is a NSFAS-funded student at SU, said, “A lot of students just accept whatever the contract states […] because we just need a place to stay so we accept anything”.
The weight of this ‘extra financial burden’
Other residents of Melrose Square also told MatieMedia that there appeared to be a recent change in policy around deposits for NSFAS-funded students at Melrose Square.
“I didn’t have to pay a deposit last year, but [was] required to pay one this year”’ stated Sakhile Mahlaba, an SU student who lived at Melrose Square from 2019 up until the beginning of April 2022.
Mahlaba left Melrose Square, because “paying for WiFi connection and other living expenses as a NSFAS student was not feasible”, he explained.
“Thousands of NSFAS-funded students come from marginalised backgrounds […] I think rental deposits in NSFAS accredited private accommodation are unfair and a financial burden for many students,” said Mahlaba.
National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) accredited accommodation was implemented in 2021, with over 187 accredited accommodation currently located across Stellenbosch. Five of these accredited accommodations in Stellenbosch are listed above. This information was obtained from the Stellenbosch University website. GRAPHIC: Tamara Wicomb
Despite numerous media queries to the property agent of Melrose Square, no response was received at the time of publication.