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Urgent communication regarding payment of subsidies to NSFAS-funded UFS students

06 April 2022 | Story Lacea Loader

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) confirmed in a circular this week that monies will be paid to universities on 8 April 2022.

This will be the first payment that the University of the Free State (UFS) receives from NSFAS this year, as per the media statement by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande.

So far this year, the UFS management has made several concessions to students to alleviate their financial pressure while waiting for their NSFAS subsidies to be released.

This week, the university management – through active engagements and input from the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) – agreed on the following process for book and meal allowances to be transferred to students’ bank accounts at the earliest possible opportunity:

As in the past, the services of Fundi will be used to pay the allowances to students.
Fundi will inform the recipients of monies received for them.
After the banking details of students have been validated, monies are transferred to a student’s bank account. Fundi will inform students whose banking details are incorrect to rectify it on the Fundi website.
Students who have not received payments before, will be requested to upload their banking details on the Fundi website, after which payment will be made.

It is anticipated that students whose bank accounts are with Standard Bank will receive notice of the payment of their allowance as soon as Friday, 8 April 2022.

Students banking with other banks will receive their payments subject to the inter-banking money transfer policies of the different banks, but not later than two business days after payment.

What students must do:

Ensure that you upload the correct banking details.
Upload your OWN banking details, not the banking details of friends or family.
Ensure that your cellphone number is correct and active on PeopleSoft.
Respond as quickly as possible to SMSes received from Fundi.

The university management would like to thank the majority of students for their patience during this difficult time while waiting for the NSFAS subsidies to be released.

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Marketing)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za

News Archive

DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture reflects on the role of Afrikaans

2012-06-07

At the DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture, from the left: Prof. Hennie van Coller, Head of the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French; Prof. Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Institutional Affairs; Prof. Wannie Carstens; and Prof. Lucius Botes, Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities.
Photo: Stephen Collett
07 June 2012

Lecture (pdf format - only available in afrikaans)

Does Afrikaans have a future in South Africa? How will the language become a truly transformed language of the new South Africa given the baggage of the image as the language of the oppressor? Will Afrikaans eventually die out?

These were the questions asked by Prof. Wannie Carstens, Director of the School of Languages at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University, when he recently delivered the 31st DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).

Prof. Carstens, also the former Chairperson of the Afrikaans Language Board, wanted to know whether reconciliation in Afrikaans is feasible, referring to the history of Afrikaans in South African politics. In a reference to the 1976 Soweto riots, he said a language could not be blamed for the mistakes of some of its speakers.

"The time is probably ripe to put this past behind us so that we can go on to reflect on Afrikaans, and in particular, the role of the Afrikaans speaker in the South Africa of 2012, and on the Afrikaans of 2060."

According to Prof. Carstens, an important condition for the reconciliation process of Afrikaans is to depoliticise the language. He referred to work that is being done by the Afrikaans Language Board and asked that everyone contribute to healing the Afrikaans language community.

"Let work together on a voice that can claim that it speaks on behalf of Afrikaans, and that might be able to contribute in the interest of Afrikaans to a truly transformed Afrikaans, or rather an inclusive Afrikaans that provides for all its speakers. When we are able to say that all Afrikaans voices are represented, only then can we truly talk of a transformed Afrikaans community."

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