The ghosts who siphon money from the National Students’ Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) fund that supports students in educational institutions have been revealed, when it turns out that they are dying.
These ghosts were discovered in the report of the Auditor General, who revealed that there are 822 ghosts who have been found to be benefiting from this fund, while information from the Ministry of Home Affairs, shows that they depend on their grandfathers.
The Minister of Higher Education, Mr. Buti Manamela, has ordered the fund to start an investigation.
He said they must cooperate with the corruption investigation unit, the SIU, to find the perpetrators of this scam.
“The report shows that these ghosts continue to be supported by NSFAS when they are not alive according to the Ministry of Home Affairs. We do not want something like this to happen in the future and that is why it must be investigated.”
He said the report also revealed that there are more than 14,000 students, who benefit from funding in an inappropriate way.
“The families of these students earn more money than is set for funding. But they also continue to benefit in an inappropriate way.”
He said that 321 students were also found, who are benefiting from the unemployment benefit in the country, which is R370 per month.
“All this, the NSFAS system has failed to report that there are students who receive funding inappropriately. Some are funded when they fail, whereas the policy of NSFAS is that if you fail, you will be deprived of funding.”
He said that NSFAS money is provided to those who are struggling, not to everyone who should not receive it.
“We want to put an end to corruption and the improper use of taxpayers’ money in this country. We hope that the investigation will find everything, we know who did what.”
He said that no student who has been properly funded should panic because of this investigation. He went on to say that they want to catch those who lie, who provide false information when applying for funding.