Johannesburg – The R30 million donation to the Student Representative Council (SRC) fund of universities for registration, fees and historical debt has sparked mixed emotions in South Africans, especially among students.
The complaints were that money has always been donated but nothing was done as there are no results, while some congratulated and thanked the foundation for assisting students.
The Motsepe Foundation has donated R30 million to 26 university SRCs across the country to assist with historical debts, registrations and fees.
Precious Moloi-Motsepe, CEO and co-founder of the Motsepe Foundation, made the announcement on Friday during a meeting hosted by the foundation at Sandton Sun in Sandton. She said the funds would be allocated towards alleviating student concerns about registration, fees, and historical debt.
Twenty-five SRC presidents joined by their heads of students, as well as president of SA Union of Students (SAUS) Yandiza Ndzoyiya, were part of the meeting.
The meeting was part of the foundation’s platform Universities in Dialogue, where student leaders met to discuss student funding and challenges students were facing.
Among the challenges raised were food insecurity faced by students, period poverty, and the need for multi-stakeholder partnerships that reduce student living costs while in accredited accommodation.
The foundation hoped that the donation would encourage support from private sector and non-profit stakeholders, and would stand to benefit from an educated and skilled youth population.
It said the identification of student needs to be supported would be conducted in partnership with the SRCs at each of the 26 South African universities.
Meanwhile, the Motsepe Foundation has also allocated 300 new bursaries for students at universities and schools for the 2023 academic year.
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