Delays in the payment of allowances has pushed over 300 students at University of Johannesburg (UJ) into debt, hunger and academic distress.
The students are funded by the Mining Qualification Authority (MQA) which falls under the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta), a statutory body that provides skills and training to youth.
The students told Sowetan on Tuesday that they have not received their R9,570 books and food allowances for February and March.
One second-year engineering student said she was forced to hand over her laptop as collateral to a loan shark in order to afford basic necessities.
“Since I started classes in February, I’ve been relying on asking for money at home and from loan sharks just to attend classes. Now we owe people money, and I had to put my laptop up as collateral just to get food,” she said.
She added that the situation has severely disrupted her studies.
“Now I don’t have a laptop, and I don’t have money for food. I come to campus almost every day to study because my laptop is with the person I owe. We still have assignments to submit, even during recess, but we are stuck.”
“I come to campus almost every day to study because my laptop is with the person I owe. We still have assignments to submit, even during recess, but we are stuck.”
The student said the uncertainty around payment dates has worsened their financial burden.
“You keep promising people different dates because you don’t know when the money will come. When it doesn’t arrive, you have to find another way to repay them or borrow again. It leaves you with a lot of debt. It has been tough.”
Another engineering student from the Doornfontein campus said she has been relying on fellow students and residence committees for survival.
“For food, it has gotten to a point where I message the res committee asking if anyone has extra to share. I’ve also had to take pictures of other students’ textbooks just to study.”
She added that while some lecturers have been supportive by sharing slides, access to learning materials remains a challenge.
Students say they are receiving conflicting information from the institutions involved.
According to them, UJ has processed the payments and MQA has approved them, but the delay now lies with the financial services provider, Fundi.
“Fundi told us they are waiting for the institution’s management to give instructions. But when we ask for financial aid, they say they are waiting for management to sign the list before sending it to Fundi,” she said.
“We even asked to speak to management, but they refused. We don’t understand which management is delaying the process.”
A postgraduate student described the delays as a long-standing issue.
“This has been happening for the past four years. It causes continuous financial strain because students rely on this money for accommodation, food, and study materials. There has been little improvement despite repeated complaints,” he said.
MQA’s chief executive, Thabo Mashongoane, confirmed that the authority is aware of the delays but maintains that payments fall within agreed timelines.
“Yes, the MQA is aware that the students’ allowances have not been paid yet and is in constant communication with the institution and learners. The institution pays allowances between the 27th and the 1st of each month,” he said.
Mashongoane added that payments were expected to be processed between March 27 and April 1, and that students would receive their allowances on April 1.
“UJ is expected to release a total of R2.8m to MQA-funded students for April,” he said.
However, students argue that the delays, regardless of whether they fall within official timelines, are having a devastating impact on their daily lives and academic performance.
Sowetan
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