Deputy minister secures new NSFAS‑accredited housing for WestCol students after evictions

More than 60 studentsNSFAS‑accredited accommodation by the end of next week, Deputy Minister of Higher Education Yusuf Cassim announced following an oversight visit.

What happened

According to the Department of Higher Education and Training, students from the Krugersdorp Central and Krugersdorp West campuses were told during the July recess not to return to their residences because NSFAS accommodation payments had not been received since the start of the academic year. The payment dispute between NSFAS and a private accommodation provider resulted in more than 60 students being displaced, causing missed classes and hardship.

Intervention and temporary arrangements

Cassim visited WestCol Krugersdorp West on 29 July after the Deputy Minister’s Helpdesk received complaints. The department said Cassim was accompanied by three NSFAS student accommodation officials and representatives from the TVET branch. His office arranged temporary accommodation for about 62 affected students.

NSFAS action plan

• All 62 students in temporary accommodation will be moved into new NSFAS‑accredited accommodation by the end of next week.
• NSFAS will deploy a dedicated student accommodation team to WestCol to resolve administrative bottlenecks, including a dispute over metro and non‑metro accommodation rates with solution partners.
• NSFAS will establish a direct escalation channel with the Deputy Minister’s Helpdesk to fast‑track future student accommodation issues.

Complaints about living conditions

The department reported students had previously raised concerns about the quality of the accommodation. Complaints included unreliable transport between the residence and the campuses, which are located about 13km away, intermittent water and electricity supply, and other poor living conditions. The Student Representative Council has been tasked with compiling and submitting a list of accommodation facilities that do not meet acceptable living standards for urgent attention by NSFAS.

Payments and accountability

NSFAS acknowledged that accommodation payments to the private provider had been inconsistent during 2026, which led to the evictions. The department said NSFAS has since paid all outstanding amounts owed to the accommodation provider as part of the agreed interventions.

“No student should lose academic time or be left without shelter because of administrative failures. I will continue to hold all parties accountable and will closely monitor implementation of the agreed timelines,”

Yusuf Cassim, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training.

Next steps

The department said the interventions aim to restore stable accommodation for the affected students while addressing broader administrative challenges relating to student housing at the college. The Deputy Minister’s office will monitor implementation to ensure students are not affected again.