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The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande declared that the government’s contribution for the zero percent fee increase for the 2016 academic year as a result of “FeesMustFall” protests as well as the amount to cover fee increases of up to a cap of 8% for students from families with an income of up to R600 000 for the 2017 academic year amounted to over R4 billion. 

R1.935 billion towards the 2016 zero percent fee increase was allocated and paid to universities as follows; Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) R78 489 million; Central University of Technology (CUT) R22 521 million; Durban University of Technology (DUT) R49 837 million; University of Free State (UFS) R56 950 million; University of Mpumalanga (UMP) R5 055 million; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) R36 400 million; North West University (NWU) R134 180 million; University of Pretoria (UP) R132 123 million; Rhodes University (RU) R42 903 million; Sol Plaatje University (SPU) R 5 340 million; Stellenbosch University (SU) R79 274 million; Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) R148 953 million; University of Cape Town (UCT) R134 572 million; University of Johannesburg (UJ) R139 868 million;  University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) R125 000 million; University of South Africa (UNISA) R202 323 million; Vaal University of Technology (VUT) R 35 095 million; University of Witwatersrand (WITS) R145 428 million; University of Fort Hare (UFH) R 43 932 million; University of Limpopo (UL) R 46 621 million; Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT)  R 39 540 million; Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) R 23 089 million; University of Zululand (UNIZULU) R 35 050 million; University of Western Cape (UWC) R 56 000 million; University of Venda (UNIVEN) R 33 904 million and Walter Sisulu University (WSU) R 83 933 million.

Furthermore, R2.460 billion was contributed to cover fee increases up to a cap of 8% for students from families with an income of up to R600 000 for the 2017 academic year amounted to R2.460 billion. This was not a zero percent increase. These funds are not in the Department’s budget baseline but has been reprioritised from the National Skills Fund (NSF).

In addition, upfront payments to universities amounting to R1.045 billion will be transferred in three equal payments before 31 March 2017. This amount is equal to 50% of the upfront payments that universities received in January 2016 for the 0% fee increase allocation.  The balance of the allocation will be paid to universities once the process of identifying missing middle students has been finalised with universities. The transfer of the balance of the funding will only be done upon the receipt of the database of the poor and missing middle cohort (ID, name, student number, 2017 tuition fees, 2017 accommodation fees and fees adjustment) as agreed with the universities.

All amounts indicated for each university for damages caused by protesting students and the zero percent fee increase for 2016 have been transferred. For the fee increases for students from a family with an income of up to R600 000 for the 2017 academic year, R352.652 million was released at the end of January 2017 and the other two equal tranches will be released at the end of February and March 2017. The balance of the allocation will be paid to universities once the process to identify missing middle students has been finalised as per the process map and the quantum of funding per university is officially communicated to the Department.

For damages caused by protesting students in the 2015 academic year, an amount of R40 496 million was budgeted as follows; University of Fort Hare R8 000 million;
University of Zululand R4.5 million, University of the Western Cape R25 858 million, Walter Sisulu University (R351 287) and University of Limpopo R1.786 million. No
additional funding was provided to any other university. Some universities have claimed or are in the process of claiming from their insurance or have used their own
funds to cover the repairs required.

 

Issued by GCIS on behalf of the Ministry of Higher Education and Training