Nightclub Condemned For Encouraging Students To Use NSFAS Money On Alcohol

In higher education institutions, students funded by NSFAS are receiving allowances for learning materials and living expenses as the academic year begins. Students have been criticized for spending their allowances on alcohol at a nightclub in Pretoria. 

Nightclub Condemned For Encouraging Students To Use NSFAS Money On Alcohol

South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) have condemned alcohol marketing to students.

Earlier this week, a popular nightclub in Pretoria was criticized for posting a social media post encouraging students to spend their NSFAS allowance on alcohol. 

On a flyer that read “NSFAS ingenile (NSFAS money is in),” the nightclub advertised special alcohol prices to attract NSFAS-funded students.

There could be more done to tighten restrictions on the content that can be advertised to students, according to Sadtu’s secretariat officer, Xolani Fakude. 

The organization should face consequences for advertising a drinking session using NSFAS allowances, according to Fakude. A mechanism should be put in place to advise students on how to spend their NSFAS allowances, according to Sadtu. 

NSFAS distributes allowances to students from poor backgrounds for food, transportation, learning materials, and other living expenses. 

In a statement, NSFAS condemned the nightclub’s use of its name for allegedly “promoting despicable use of NSFAS allowances,” and it threatened legal action. 

According to the statement, “This reckless behavior not only perpetuates undue use of the NSFAS allowance, but also counters the scheme’s efforts to instill financial responsibility in its beneficiaries.”. 

The NSFAS bank account will enable the bursary scheme to monitor how students spend their allowances so that measures can be put in place to ensure that funds are well spent. 

After being criticized online, the nightclub has apologized and said that the poster was unauthorised. They say that no event regarding the financial aid scheme will be happening on their premises and they do not condone any events of this nature.