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Parliament, Wednesday, 22 July 2026 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, Mr Tebogo Letsie, notes that some university student representative councils (SRCs) are calling for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) cap to the cost of student accommodation to be scrapped.
SRCs at the universities of Cape Town, Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and Stellenbosch issued a joint statement announcing their united stance against the NSFAS-regulated cap on student accommodation costs. NSFAS introduced the cap in 2023 as a measure to prevent private accommodation providers from inflating prices. The cap now sits at around R52 000 for accommodation.
Mr Letsie said he could not understand why the student leaders of these institutions appear to be defending accommodation costs, rather than questioning how their universities justify such prices in the first place. “If these costs cannot be reasonably explained, why is the focus on criticising NSFAS for attempting to regulate student accommodation prices, instead of addressing what appears to be excessive pricing by some institutions and accommodation providers?” asked Mr Letsie.
Mr Letsie advised student leaders to rather interrogate whether the accommodation charges are fair, transparent and in the best interests of students. Defending exorbitant costs without demanding accountability only weakens the fight for affordable, accessible higher education, he said.
Mr Letsie further said he did not recall receiving a request from university SRCs for a meeting with the committee to discuss the issue of the cap to student accommodation costs.
The majority of Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training members support the implementation of the NSFAS student accommodation cap as a measure to regulate the pricing of student accommodation within the post-school education and training (PSET) sector and to promote greater affordability and fairness for students, Mr Letsie said.
“However, we welcome the discussion on this matter and we have scheduled a colloquium on student accommodation for 28 August 2026, during which national student organisations, including the South African Union of Students and the South African Technical Vocational Education and Training Student Association, will be invited to represent the voice of students, particularly on matters relating to the student accommodation cap.”
Lastly, Mr Letsie said he was looking forward to the participation of student representatives of the universities concerned and hope their submissions will enrich the discussions on the cap to student accommodation costs.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING, MR TEBOGO LETSIE.
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