Students Forced onto the Streets After NSFAS Payment Error Leaves Them Homeless

By Noko Maleka

Dozens of TVET students were evicted from student accommodation near Gandhi Square after accommodation payments intended for providers were deposited into students' bank accounts. Some have been left sleeping in streets and under bridges.

Dozens of students from Central Johannesburg TVET College and Ekurhuleni TVET College have been left stranded and homeless after a sudden eviction from Urban Einstein Student Accommodation in Marshalltown, near Gandhi Square.

According to the affected students, they were given just seven days’ notice to vacate the premises after the accommodation provider claimed that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) had failed to pay their rent. The students say they had followed all procedures required by NSFAS and their institutions.

“They told us to leave within seven days because NSFAS didn’t pay them. But when we tried to move out last semester, the same management said we had to serve a three-month notice, which they called ‘policy’. Now, they’re the ones kicking us out without notice.”

The result has been devastating. Some students have had to sleep under bridges or in Johannesburg streets, while others have returned home — disrupting their studies and examinations during the final stretch of the academic year.

In a statement dated 24 October 2025, Central Johannesburg TVET College confirmed that NSFAS funds meant for accommodation were mistakenly deposited directly into students’ accounts instead of accredited accommodation providers.

“It has come to our attention that NSFAS accommodation payments, which were intended to be paid directly to Accredited Providers (APs), were deposited into students' bank accounts instead,” the college’s Student Financial Aid office said in an urgent notice. The notice advised students who received these funds to notify their accommodation providers and transfer the payments immediately.

While the college urged students to act responsibly and pay their accommodation providers, many students argue that the situation was beyond their control — and that they are being penalised for an administrative error they did not cause.

“This is not just a bureaucratic mistake — it’s a crisis of dignity,” a student representative said. “No student should have to sleep on the streets because of a system failure.”

As temperatures fall and exam pressure rises, students continue to plead for a rapid resolution — hoping that NSFAS, the colleges, and accommodation providers can find a way to ensure that no learner’s future is jeopardised by financial mismanagement.