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The latest scandal rocking the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) must be the last nail in Higher Education Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande’s coffin.

Barely a week since the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) released it report, as well as leaked recordings, allegedly tying the Minister, NSFAS board chair Ernest Khosa and the South African Communist Party (SACP) to corruption, Netwerk24 revealed that Nzimande-advisor, Tilson Manyoni, was awarded a R44 million NSFAS tender.

Manyoni was also the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) chair and the chairperson of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) board when his company Vision Wave got the 5-year contract in 2022 for its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

The DA calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to not only fire Minister Nzimande, but also proclaim an SIU investigation into the OUTA allegations and the Vision Wave contract.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Minister Nzimande thinks of NSFAS as a piggy bank for him and his comrades, which makes him unfit to head any ministry. For the benefit of all current and future students the President must heed the DASO petition and fire Minister Nzimande.

Issued by Chantel King MP - DA Shadow Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation