Students have raised their concerns with the Student Representative Council (SRC) about Stellenbosch University’s (SU) deadline to increase quota through one’s student account. The SRC has asked the Rectorate to consider extending the deadline and is awaiting a response.
On 4 August, the SU finance division emailed students to inform them that the deadline to increase meal, printing or washing machine quota through their student account will be 14 August at 23:59.
According to Natalie Nortje, the 2025/2026 vice-chairperson of the prim committee, and SRC policy officer, five students approached Ofentse Ledwaba, the 2025/2026 SRC secretary general, about concerns around the quota deadline and he relayed those concerns at an SRC meeting.
The SRC met with the SU Rectorate on 6 August, said Nortje.
“We brought it up with the Rectorate in our previous meeting and requested a potential extension. They said they would consider so we are awaiting feedback on that,” said Arnold Ntumvi-Nguti, 2025/2026 chairperson of the prim committee.
Posters at the Inorganic Chemistry building attributed to Stellenbosch University’s finance division say that the deadline to increase meal, printing and washing quota through one’s student account would be 14 August at 23:59. PHOTO: Emma Giles
Nortje said they had asked the Rectorate for updates on multiple occasions since that meeting.
As of 13 August, the SRC had not received an update from the Rectorate regarding the potential extension, said Pulane Mtshali, the 2025/2026 SRC chairperson.
Nortje said the Rectorate had said that they would have to “engage with the financial division to determine if an extension would impact the process of the university closing and consolidating accounts”.
“The quota deadline is not something newly introduced to students; it occurs yearly. However, the timeline and consistency of that communication has made it difficult for students to prepare for the rest of the academic year,” said Nortje.
An extension would allow students time to “organise their finances or make provisions around no longer being able to load quota on their student accounts”, she said.
According to Ntumvi-Nguti, another potential factor could have been that “it was just after end of month” so finances may not have been fully considered.
“The SRC’s responsibility is to advocate for and represent all students and as well as address their needs. Although the quota deadline is an annual occurrence, if concerns are raised it is then our duty as the SRC to take them forward,” said Nortje.
“The SRC understands the potential negative implication this could have on students, especially those experiencing or at risk of financial and/or food insecurity,” said Nortje.
Students can upload washing quota at their residence laundry rooms using their student cards. Before the deadline to increase quota, announced to be 14 August, students can pay for washing, food or printing through their student account. After the deadline, students can use Snapscan or the Maties Student Fees payment page to upload quota using personal funds, according to Martin Viljoen, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) media manager. PHOTO: Emma Giles
Martin Viljoen, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) media manager, said that “the cut-off is aligned with the final student fee instalment, which is due on 30 September”.
“This ensures that no additional charges are created on student accounts after fee statements reflecting the final instalment have been issued,” he said.
Viljoen said that after the deadline students are only able to increase their quota through SnapScan or the Maties Student Fees payment page. These payment methods would require personal funds and not those from one’s student account, he said.
Students can calculate how much quota they should upload by referring to their average expenditure per month as a guideline, keeping in mind that “the maximum meal quota that may be loaded during the year is currently R36,400”, said Martin Viljoen, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) media manager. PHOTO: Emma Giles
Viljoen said the deadline for meal quota “does not affect NSFAS-funded students who receive the daily R60 meal allowance allocation” as “these students were already blocked from increasing their meal quotas themselves at the beginning of the year”.
“Where a bursary/funder provider permits the use of funding for meals, the bursary coordinator can instruct Student Fees to allocate the relevant funds to meal quotas,” he said.
SMF News will provide updates as the story develops.