Nsfas is ‘like a bad movie’ as students slam acting leadership

The South African Union of Students (Saus) has condemned the practice of appointing acting leaders at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas), comparing it to a "bad movie." This reliance on acting appointments is exacerbating instability within the scheme's governance, causing significant distress for students, according to Saus.

Saus rejects this practice as an inadequate solution to the leadership crisis affecting Nsfas, urging the reinstated Nsfas board to urgently appoint a permanent CEO and fill all vacant key executive positions. The organisation stresses that true stability cannot merely involve keeping the institution running amid recurring crises, but must also entail establishing permanent, competent, and accountable leadership capable of making decisions and bearing responsibility for their execution.

Currently, Nsfas lacks a permanent chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and human resources executive, creating an unacceptable situation where crucial positions overseeing the strategic and operational functioning of a key public institution are filled on an acting basis or left vacant. Saus demands a transparent and urgent process for appointing permanent executive leadership, stating that Nsfas cannot remain a "movie" where everyone is acting. It calls for permanent leadership, accountability, and institutional stability.