The DA yesterday said the anomaly came to light during an oversight visit to the University of Venda by the Higher Education Portfolio Committee.
“Yesterday, the Portfolio Committee could not meet on the campus of the University of Venda due to violent protest, triggered by the delays in the payment of NSFAS grants,” said DA MP Belinda Bozzoli.
The grants are used by thousands of students all over the country to pay for accommodation, food, books and travel.
“It was revealed that some 200 000 university students across the country have not yet received their NSFAS grants,” said Bozzoli.
The DA will summon NSFAS chairperson, Sizwe Nxasana, to explain the “crisis”.
Bozzoli said a technical problem in NSFAS’s centralised system “apparently led to the inability to make these payments”.
As a result, students couldn’t buy books and many are “going hungry”.