The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] wishes to inform the public that it has formally written to the Chief Executive Officer of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme [NSFAS], Mr Steven Zwane, to give him an ultimatum to vacate office within five days.

The ultimatum began on Sunday August 12, 2018 and expires on Thursday August 16, 2018. Failure to heed our call to leave office the national union will descend on the NSFAS offices in Wynberg Cape Town to help Mr Zwane to vacate office. As NEHAWU, we strongly believe that if qualitative change has to take place at NSFAS the CEO must vacate office with immediate effect.

Our demand for the CEO to vacate office is informed by the following reasons:

• His appointment was not in line with the South African legal framework and regulations prescribing employment particularly in institutions of NSFAS nature. This means that he was illegally employed hence he does not deserve to be holding such an important strategic position as he is not eligible for such a responsibility.
• Given the nature of this institution [NSFAS] which requires a social oriented person not a business oriented person like Mr Zwane whose correctly traced from institutions of profit maximization. An institution of NFSAS calibre requires at the helm a manager with capacity to fundraise to augment to the state subsidy for adequate distribution to the working class and the poor child as an integral part of ensuring access to higher education in order to better their lives.
• He has been unable to create a conducive working environment that ensures labour peace and manageable scheme distribution with less problems. Currently, he is seated with our issues for some time unresolved and mounting challenges facing students which poses a serious threat to access to necessities at universities.
• Due to his inability to act in a free, fair manner and free from favours as principles underpinning mode of good practice including responding to irregularities forwarded to him. As a result of his failures, there is a general anxiety and anger to his management and stewardship at NSFAS.
• His leadership and managerial capacity lacks innovation and concrete programme to resolve both bargaining issues and financial distribution to the poor of the poorest.   

Should Zwane elect to ignore our ultimatum the national union will convene a general meeting of its members in the morning on Friday, the 17th August 2018 at 10am, where a detailed report on whether he has complied or not will be given to members by a delegation led by the General Secretary of the national union, Cde Zola Saphetha.

If the CEO will still be at his office [House Vincent 2nd Floor, 10 Brodie Rd, Wynberg, Cape Town] after the meeting then our members will picket at his office in order to help him to leave the position and office. However, such activity will be conducted peacefully and shall be located within the limits of the South African law and other legislative frameworks.

Today, the national union met with the leadership of the South African Students Congress [SASCO] to discuss issues related to NSFAS. The meeting resolved to write a letter to the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Minister Naledi Pandor, to demand answers on the following issues:

• On what basis did the Minister change her mind from a concurred view with us that NSFAS was on the stage of collapse?
• What happened to the demand of both NEHAWU and SASCO on the immediate dissolution of the board?
• As we are hearing her intention to appoint a new administrator to oversee the scheme, we would like to know the terms of reference before such an appointment is made.
• We would like to establish whether the Minister is prepared to institute an inquiry into alleged appointment of friends and relatives by the Mr Zwane.

Failure to receive positive responses to these issues will leave us with no option but to be forced to prepare a warning shot march directed to the NSFAS offices in Cape Town in the next two weeks. Currently, NEHAWU and SASCO have established a national war room to be launched on Thursday at 10am to prepare for the highlighted national warning shot march. Should this march not yield the desired results, the war room will concurrently prepare for the worst scenario which would include amongst others the rolling mass action in universities and TVET’s which might compromise the functioning of these institutions and unfortunately affect academic programme of the last semester.

Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat