Malema calls for Nzimande to resign amid fraud allegations

Julius Malema has called for the immediate resignation of Blade Nzimande after information surfaced on Thursday, suggesting that the Minister of Higher Education and Training has been swindling money from the department that is meant to assist students at tertiary institutions.

The president of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said Nzimande has been using the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) as his personal wallet which he uses to practice patronage and to enrich himself.

Malema was addressing a press conference on Friday, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, ahead of the EFF Elections Manifesto Launch taking place next month.

“Nzimande has been anti-students ever since he was placed in that department for factional reasons and has established it as his personal wallet which he uses to practice patronage and enrich himself. Blade Nzimande must resign, and he must resign now,” Malema told reporters.

READ MORE: R49 billion budget allocated to students’ national aid scheme.

Since Nzimande took over, the department has been facing crippling challenges which undermine the interests of the poor and working-class students.

For the first time since the advent of the scheme, almost 100 000 students wrote their end-year examinations in 2023 on empty stomachs without food, toiletries, sanitary products, transport and some even accommodation due to problem with the NSFAS payment system.

“Further to this, the EFF is affirmed in our long-held view that at the centre of the collapse of the Higher Education Sector is Blade Nzimande, who has now been exposed through leaked voice recordings for having secret meetings with service providers, who have allegedly donated more than R1 million to the SACP during his tenure as its General Secretary,” Malema added.

On Thursday, OUTA releases voice recordings of two meetings between NSFAS Board Chair, Dr. Ernest Khosa and a representative of a service provider which reveal how millions of rands were allegedly paid in kickbacks to Nzimande and Khoza, as well as at least R1 million to the SACP.

The alleged payments were reportedly done in return for tenders and protection for service providers.

These recordings and OUTA’s accompanying report are the latest bombshell exposing corruption and mismanagement at NSFAS. The scheme admitted earlier this week that at least 20 000 students countrywide are still waiting for their 2023 allowances to be paid.

The payment system to students all but collapsed after four new service providers were awarded the tender for facilitating direct payments to students since July 2023. They are namely, Coinvest Africa (Pty) Ltd, Tenet Technology (Pty) Ltd, Ezaga Holdings (Pty) Ltd and Norraco Corporation (Pty) Ltd.