Varsity owed R1.5m by military veterans department

The University of Johannesburg said it was owed more than R1.5m in outstanding tuition fees by the department of military veterans.

The university said it had now received a final approved list of students who are funded by the department, but 21 of the students were not on the list.

On Monday, the Sowetan reported that at least four dependants of military veterans had been financially blocked from registering at the university because of unpaid fees.

UJ spokesperson Herman Esterhuizen said the institution was owed about R1,512,000 by the department.

He said as the institution was trying to help students where it could.

“Last year we managed to raise more than R200m through the missing middle.

“We assisted about 8,000 students who did not qualify for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme [NSFAS] and also those who could not qualify for bank loans.” 

Military veterans spokesperson Phumeza Dzuguda said several methods were being tested to remedy the situation.

“Students in private institutions have been paid via bulk payment arrangements.

“For this year, the department has made arrangements with some provincial departments of education to transfer funds and pay for the students directly.

“Students in public institutions will still be funded via NSFAS, while students in private institutions will be paid via bulk payment to their respective institutions.” — TimesLIVE