Edwin Naidu
Wanted! A nation with a conscience.
Forget the empty rhetoric surrounding the wasteful national dialogue led by those who proved during the last election that they can no longer be trusted. It is up to citizens to look within to rediscover the moral compass of good that would make South Africa great. The people must find their own voices on issues of national importance.
No politician with a sofa-load of money is going to convince us about good or bad. Neither would that man who once led the Moral Regeneration Movement persuade us that he knows anything about what is good for the nation. Perhaps, if he paid back the money for his palace, things would change through that example alone.
In a democracy built on the principles of equality and a better life for all, few issues cut as deeply into the national consciousness as funding for higher education.
Billions have been invested in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which has, for three decades, been the government’s flagship social intervention programme. It has opened the doors of learning to millions who would otherwise have been denied access to a tertiary education.
But only 20,000 graduates out of 841,879 former students who benefited from the fund have repaid their debts. The scheme is owed R45.9 billion.
It raises the question: how can someone refuse to repay something gifted by taxpayers as a service towards building a nation of educated individuals?
Hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries are failing to repay their loans, creating a significant issue. The question is, where does responsibility begin and end in this cycle, and what does our collective response reveal about us as a society?
We often hear about people losing their homes to financial institutions when they can no longer afford the mortgage. Car auctions of repossessed vehicles have increased significantly. There is no doubt that the fight for survival is real. But a culture of ‘freebies’ from the government must end.
The history of student activism in South Africa is well-documented. Students in the darkest days of apartheid mobilised against the injustices. It is students who led the charge in the post-apartheid era during the #FeesMustFall movement, demanding not only accessible education, but a reimagining of social priorities. Their protests forced the nation to confront uncomfortable truths about inequality and the cost of higher learning.
Yet, the struggle did not end at the gates of the university. Today, it continues in boardrooms, government offices, and—most controversially—at the tills of the state’s inefficient debt collectors. One can easily get blacklisted if one fails to pay the measly R264 television license fee. But government efforts to recoup R45 billion in outstanding debt from 2018 and earlier are impossible.
At the core of the issue lies the question: why don’t NSFAS beneficiaries repay their debts? The answer, as with most matters in South Africa, is intricate. Unemployment rates among graduates remain persistently high, with many young people unable to secure employment that would enable them to pay off their loans.
Others, however, do find employment but choose not to repay, citing various reasons from lingering resentment over the cost of education to scepticism that their contributions make any difference in a system they see as broken.
Whatever the reason, the result is a ballooning debt book and a scheme under strain, unable to recycle funds and support the next generation of students.
When those who have benefited from public funds refuse to repay, it ultimately restricts access for those coming after them. The cycle becomes unsustainable, and a culture of non-repayment slowly strangles the noble idea of education for all.
This culture extends beyond NSFAS: look at the widespread non-payment of municipal utilities, or the tax evasion chronicled in SARS’s attempts to chase influencers and high-earning professionals. It is a symptom of something more profound, the creation of a welfare state, and at the same time, a loss of faith in the social contract and a fraying sense of collective responsibility.
Why is SARS not pursuing the non-payers in formal employment when a determined focus can help break the back of the R45 billion debt?
South Africa’s welfare state exists precisely because poverty and inequality run deep, and it would be cruel to demand repayment from those genuinely unable to pay. For the most impoverished, grants and support structures are a lifeline. But for those who have found a foothold in the job market, does the argument hold? Is it not reasonable to expect them to contribute as a gesture of national solidarity?
NSFAS should have a built-in mechanism linked to SARS concerning repayments based on employment. SARS employs Artificial Intelligence to identify evaders. Why are they lenient with NSFAS graduates who are earning an income, yet denying others the same privilege they received?
Many countries operate student loan repayment schemes that are integrated into the tax system. Once a graduate reaches a certain income threshold, repayments are automatically deducted, like income tax or pension contributions. Why not adopt a similar approach, working with employers to reduce NSFAS repayments at source?
When borrowing is consequence-free and personal responsibility is optional, it would ultimately undermine the scheme for everyone. It is not just a question of policy, but of values. The debate over NSFAS debt is really about the kind of society we want to build.
Therefore, the onus is on recipients to participate in good faith. If we expect a welfare state to support the most vulnerable, then those who have climbed the ladder must be prepared to hold it steady for others.
If we want to solve the debt conundrum, we need more than just stricter enforcement or more generous grants — we need a renewed social consciousness. One in which responsibilities match rights, and where a culture of contribution replaces the culture of non-payment.
Only then will the noble vision of NSFAS—education for all—be truly sustainable. And only then will the cycle of hope, opportunity, and reciprocity continue for generations to come.
*Edwin Naidu writes a blog for Higher Education Media Services (HEMS).
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.