{
  "id": 1686583,
  "title": "Over 40 000 students were improperly funded by NSFAS: PP",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/over-40-000-students-were-improperly-funded-by-nsfas-pp",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T10:07:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/over-40-000-students-were-improperly-funded-by-nsfas-pp/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Public Protector Adv Kholeka Gcaleka has revealed that over 40,000 students at 76 higher education institutions were improperly funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to the tune of R5.1 billion. Of this amount, only R2 billion has been recovered to date. Gcaleka delivered her findings in Pretoria after conducting a thorough investigation into the issues plaguing NSFAS. The probe was initiated due to ongoing student protests, funding delays, and concerns surrounding the scheme's governance and administration. Gcaleka emphasized that the investigation was further motivated by subsequent events that underscored the need for a closer look at NSFAS's management. These included the Auditor-General of South Africa's disclaimer audit opinion on NSFAS's 2024-2025 financial statements, the instability of NSFAS's board which led to its dissolution, and the subsequent court overturn of the scheme's administration.",
  "summary": "The NSFAS probe was prompted by recurring student protests and funding delays.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}