The student debt crisis in South Africa has presented an existential threat to universities and the broader prospects of disadvantaged, young people. The Fees Must Fall movement was a watershed moment that allowed students to advocate for the blocking of student fee increases and an increase in government funding. Given the colonial legacies attributed to many universities in the country, the movement also served as a catalyst for the discourse on transformation within the higher education system.

With higher education remaining inaccessible to deserving, disadvantaged individuals, the South African Student Solidarity Foundation for Education (Sassfe) aims improve access to education for students in need through the mobilisation of funds from a large body of alumni, thereby creating a new cultural norm that encourages individuals and groups to commit to ensuring that all people in society who have the facility to pursue a higher education can do so.

Sassfe Management Committee member Mzwanele Ntshwanti highlights the focal areas of the organisation’s work to ensure that more disadvantaged and deserving students are able to pursue their studies to completion with dignity.

ABOUT MZWANELE NTSHWANTI

Mzwanele Ntshwanti is an academic and former student activist. He currently lectures at the University of South Africa (Unisa) and is a Ph.D. (Economics) candidate at the University of Birmingham. He also does work for Rethinking Economics International, advocating for curriculum transformation in economics and accountancy.