The National Student Fund Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has opened a case of theft against a former board member for allegedly stealing laptops earmarked for under-resourced schools.
The NSFAS said yesterday the former board member allegedly retained 10 of 30 laptops that were allocated to six high schools during a donation drive in March in the Eastern Cape.
Each school was expected to receive five laptops for communal use, said the financial aid scheme.
“It is shocking that a board member of an organisation designed to alleviate hardships from economically-deprived communities would be responsible for such an act,” comments NSFAS administrator professor Hlengani Mathebula.
The administrator explained it was NSFAS’s employees that decided to report the alleged misconduct on behalf of the learners, adding that the scheme must only be associated with a certain calibre of leaders and employees.
“This act by our colleagues is exemplary. It testifies to the fact that we are turning the corner as an organisation, as employees are reclaiming their organisation from the grubby hands of those who have been manipulating it for their own self-enrichment, while our children suffered the indignity wrought by poverty,” states Mathebula.
“Children from impoverished backgrounds need all the help they can get from all of us. It is therefore appalling to learn that someone used his position of privilege, being a board member, to steal from the same needy children. It doesn’t get worse than that.”
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training chairperson Tebogo Letsie has expressed serious concerns about the allegations.
He said, if substantiated, the alleged conduct would constitute a serious breach of public trust at a time when the entity is already under administration, following the dissolution of its board. If proven, it would deprive the intended schools of resources meant to support teaching and learning, he said.
“Resources intended to improve educational opportunities must reach their intended beneficiaries. Anyone entrusted with public resources is expected to act with integrity and must be held accountable where wrongdoing is established,” he said.
Letsie added that the committee will request a written report from the NSFAS administrator setting out the circumstances surrounding the donation, the controls governing the distribution of the laptops and the steps taken to recover or replace the devices.
It will also seek confirmation that all six schools have received the laptops allocated to them and that any weaknesses identified in the donation process have been addressed.
“Employees must be able to report suspected wrongdoing without fear. Such reports must be investigated fairly and promptly, while respecting the rights of everyone involved and allowing the criminal process to take its course,” he said.
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