While tertiary students across South Africa demand an increase in food allowances and an accommodation cap, the upper echelon of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) appears to be operating on a vastly different budget, including eyebrow-raising spending on hotels. Siyabonga Goni reports.
Reporting by: Siyabonga Goni
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade
Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn
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Read more: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-29-double-booked-hotels-a-luxury-49-night-estate-stay-inside-nsfas-boss-mathebulas-r110000-plus-spending-spree/?dm_source=blocks-horizontal&dm_medium=card-link&dm_campaign=inform&dm_position=3
0:00 – Students’ Allowance Fight vs. the Invoices
0:11 – Two Luxury Hotels, Same Week
0:45 – NSFAS’s Explanation for the Double Booking
0:58 – Treasury’s Repayment Rule
1:18 – 49 Nights at a Holiday Estate
1:43 – Four Advisers, R10 Million a Year
2:12 – What Students Live On
2:50 – NSFAS’s Response
