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The South African Communist Party (SACP) unwaveringly reiterates its position for the state to continue expanding access to college and university education and training for students from working-class and poor backgrounds, including through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Our position as the SACP is that the disbursement of NSFAS funds must be an exclusive preserve of the state, ideally through a state bank or a public development finance institution – with no involvement of private service providers.   

To set the record straight, the SACP has never approached or delegated any person to approach any entity, public or private, to request funds illegitimately. We both reject and denounce the allegation that the NSFAS funded the Party with the contempt it deserves. The SACP has never received any funding in return of any favour anywhere, and any person or entity who will make the attempt to approach the Party with such funding support will face the full might of the law – the SACP will lay a criminal charge against that person or entity. 

A legitimate investigation upholds the fundamental principle of justice, “audi alteram partem”, meaning listen to the other side, before you can reach conclusions. Anything exercise, including by a non-governmental organisation, that violates this fundamental principle is not an investigation but something else. The opportunist party of overwhelmingly white leaders in an overwhelmingly black population, the DA, is using the non-governmental organisation OUTA’s utterances and the untested allegation as its electioneering agenda. To begin with, its leadership composition is a stark reminder of the continuing legacy of the racist systems of colonial and apartheid oppression and white privilege. 

“Our evidence-led stance against corruption remains unwavering. We will not hesitate to take decisive action if, in any legitimate investigation, both now and in the future, we come across incontrovertible evidence of wrongdoing by anyone of our members”, said the SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila when responding to the allegation initially on Saturday, addressing the 29th Joe Slovo commemoration at the Avalon Cemetery in Soweto, Johannesburg. It is unacceptable for any person to drop the name of the SACP in any manner, not least in pursuit of their private agendas.  

The SACP has noted the 5th of January statements by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande, and the NSFAS, rejecting the allegations. In its statement, the NSFAS said it “…will continue to work with law enforcement agencies to further probe the recordings in circulation and all the reported instances of corruption and maladministration at NSFAS”. This is crucial. In addition, the NSFAS must decisively – as it commits to – implement the Werksmans Attorneys’ recommendations from the investigation undertaken to clamp down on corruption. 

Issued by the South African Communist Party