The perennial crisis of degrees without beds
Statement by Zandile Phiri, Acting Secretary General of the United Democratic Movement
Recent scenes of students arriving at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and sleeping outside campus in the hope of securing a bed are a stark reminder that South Africa’s student accommodation crisis is not new. It is perennial, systemic, and worsening. Reports from the start of the 2026 academic year show that hundreds of students were left waiting without confirmed residence placements, highlighting a failure of planning, policy and delivery at every level of our higher education system.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has noted that it does not run university residences and that the responsibility for placing students in housing lies with institutions themselves. NSFAS also pointed out that some accommodation providers accepted students without confirming the finalisation of their funding, adding complexity to an already fraught process. These statements, while factually accurate, expose a cycle in which no single actor takes full responsibility, yet the consequences fall squarely on students.
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes that this crisis persists year after year for reasons that straight reporting can only begin to explain:
• Under-investment in public accommodation has left universities unable to match the rapid growth in student enrolment. Many institutions simply lack enough beds for even a fraction of students who need them.
• NSFAS funding allocations, caps and timelines remain misaligned with real accommodation costs and academic calendars. Students arrive before their allowances are paid and before accommodation placements are finalised, often with no interim support.
• Private accommodation markets have expanded in the absence of sufficient public options, but high rents and safety concerns mean that private housing is out of reach for many students and is not a true substitute for university-linked residences,
• Coordination failures between NSFAS, universities and private providers create bottlenecks in accreditation, payment and placement decisions. Each year the same breakdowns occur because systemic coordination has never been fixed.
The result is predictable i.e. students arrive with hope and ambition, only to find themselves without a safe place to sleep, study or rest.
This is not about isolated mishaps at a single campus. It is about a policy vacuum where capacity, planning and student welfare are treated as secondary to enrolment figures. The perennial nature of this crisis speaks to leadership failure across the sector.
The UDM urges that:
1. Government and NSFAS immediately align funding timelines with academic calendars and accommodation market realities.
2. Institutions adopt transparent placement criteria, backed by interim housing solutions for students still waiting for beds.
3. Long-term investment in public student housing must be prioritised, especially for TVET and CET students who are too often excluded from structured accommodation support.
4. Private accreditation and regulation must be strengthened so that student experience is protected and affordable.
Students should never have to sleep outside campus to pursue their education, yet here we are, again. It is time for real, lasting solutions.
