In his first official public deployment since taking office, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Yusuf Cassim, MP, is launching a direct intervention at the University of South Africa (UNISA).
On Thursday, 9 July 2026, Cassim will lead a high-level oversight delegation to the UNISA Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria. The urgent visit is a direct response to a massive influx of student grievances flooded through the Deputy Minister’s Help-desk concerning severe delays in National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allowance payouts and the controversial termination of student data allocations.
Unpacking the UNISA Student Crisis
The oversight visit aims to address critical structural failures directly impacting thousands of distance-learning students nationwide. The agenda will focus heavily on two primary battlegrounds:
- Scrapped Data Allowances: Investigating the severe academic fallout caused by the discontinuation of mobile data packages for distance-learning students who rely entirely on digital connectivity to learn and submit assessments.
- Payout Delays: Auditing the contradictory internal reports between UNISA management and NSFAS administrators regarding why crucial monthly living and material allowances are failing to reach student accounts on time.
Direct Accountability: Deputy Minister Cassim will be flanked by senior executives from both the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and NSFAS to ensure immediate, actionable solutions are hammered out with UNISA student leaders and campus management.
Digital Upgrade for the DM’s Helpdesk
In a move to streamline student support, the Ministry confirmed that the DM’s Helpdesk—originally pioneered by Cassim’s predecessor, Dr. Mimmy Gondwe—is undergoing a complete migration to a faster, interactive online platform.
While the new digital architecture is being deployed, students facing ongoing funding anomalies are urged to escalate their queries directly to the interim gateway: Dmsdesk@Dhet.gov.za.
Media & Event Details
- Date: Thursday, 9 July 2026
- Time: 10:30 – 13:30
- Venue: OR Tambo Building, UNISA Muckleneuk Campus, Pretoria
- Media Enquiries: Sipho Stuurman (076 965 4880 / Stuurman.S@dhet.gov.za)
