PRETORIA, Gauteng — The UNISA NSFAS allowance protests in Pretoria have reached a boiling point, with learners gathering at the Sunnyside Campus to demand the immediate release of their delayed June 2026 stipends. The financial hold-up has sparked widespread demonstrations as distance education students grapple with severe disruptions to both their academic responsibilities and daily survival.
Protesting learners emphasize that the missing funds have created a dire situation, leaving many without the means to purchase food, essential toiletries, and the mobile data required for their coursework. Because UNISA operates primarily as an online institution, the lack of data creates a devastating domino effect for students.
Learners explain that without their monthly stipends, they cannot buy data to attend virtual classes or conduct research. This inevitably leads to missed assignment deadlines, which results in failing modules. Consequently, failing these modules strips them of their academic eligibility, ultimately causing them to lose their NSFAS funding altogether. Frustrated students are urging the institution to provide advance notice if payments are going to be late, so they can prepare for the financial shortfall.
The protests also highlight a glaring disparity in how financial aid is distributed across the higher education sector. Student representatives point out that while students at traditional contact universities receive a monthly living allowance of R1,700, UNISA learners are allocated only R316. From this meager R316, distance learners are forced to cover the costs of their own internet data and personal hygiene products. Furthermore, they note that the university only provides data allocations during exam periods, leaving them unsupported during regular online assessments and research phases. Compounding their hardship, these students come from deeply disadvantaged, unemployed households and are excluded from applying for the SASSA SRD grant precisely because they are registered NSFAS beneficiaries.
Addressing the crisis, a UNISA spokesperson acknowledged the students’ distress and confirmed that the institution has initiated the processing of the outstanding funds. The spokesperson detailed the massive logistical scale of the university, noting that UNISA currently serves over 380,000 students. Of this massive student body, 177,000 rely on NSFAS, with 93,000 specifically qualifying for the delayed living allowances.
According to the UNISA spokesperson, the batch processing for these payments officially commenced on Friday. Since then, students have begun receiving their remittance advice, and as of today, all eligible beneficiaries have been notified. The university firmly denied that the delays were caused by internal administrative failures, attributing the setbacks to broader, systemic challenges within the national funding framework. The spokesperson maintained that the university has managed its side of the disbursement process “exceptionally well.”
The institution has advised all affected students to continuously monitor their bank accounts as the funds are actively being deposited. Meanwhile, the protesting learners remain steadfast in their demands, calling for transparent, reliable communication and punctual disbursements to ensure their academic year is not permanently derailed.