NSFAS - NO SUCCESS

NSFAS does not respond to any communication! We have been trying to get to the bottom of my daughter’s bursary withdrawal since the end of June 2020. She was advised by the university that the funding had been stopped and we are to take it up directly with NSFAS! Impossible to communicate with them as the Call Centre is closed due to covid and the odd automated email response to some of our emails. We logged four cases of complaint on Nsfas Connect with no success. It also seems like they have blocked my daughter accessing the MyNsfas account when she tries to go and check the status or any possible response from them! I was told by the university that it was something to do with SARS and earning more than R350,000 per annum, which is certainly not the case!!! I did an Income Review Appeal on 01/09/2020 and to date have had no answers except one automated receipt of appeal email! I submitted proof of income and employment, SARS tax return (ITR12) and IRP5 twice. I ceded a policy at the end of 2019 to pay legal bills, which I also sent proof of the IRP5 from the relevant organization. NSFAS has put so much financial strain and anxiety on us and we have got absolutely no where with them. I cannot afford to take them to court as I believe there was a successful case relating to the same matter of the income review appeal. We have been totally disillusioned by this organization who seem to employ staff that get paid to do nothing! I have seen articles on News24 about NSFAS staff **********ly accessing funds that students should be getting for their studies! It also appears that so many people have been conned by them and the enormous amount of complaints on Hello Peter pays testament to their lack of sorting out any issues that have been queried.