AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: NSFAS claims procurement rules ‘don’t apply’ to R500k adviser deals — Treasury disagrees
The National Treasury has rejected NSFAS’s claim that Public Finance Management Act rules ‘do not apply’ to its adviser contracts that could potentially add up to millions of rand. The sharp rebuttal follows revelations that two top advisers to NSFAS administrator Hlengani Mathebula billed nearly R500,000 a month through private firms, which would total close to R6-million each over two years if…
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has come under scrutiny following revelations that its administrator, Hlengani Mathebula, billed nearly R500,000 a month through private firms, potentially totaling close to R6-million each over two years. The National Treasury has rejected NSFAS's claim that Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) procurement rules do not apply to these adviser contracts, arguing that the advisers were appointed through ministerial Government Gazette rather than standard procurement channels.
The scandal has been further exacerbated by leaked invoices showing that two of Mathebula’s advisers, Nonkululeko Manyika and Dudu Hlatshwayo, billed R254,973.51 and R204,166.67 respectively for July 2026, with the total advisory bill far exceeding the ministry’s public estimates.
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