PROF MATHEBULA’S APPOINTMENT TO NSFAS SIGNALS NEW CHAPTER

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is pleased to welcome the appointment of Professor Hlengani Mathebula as its new Administrator, effective from 4 May 2026.

Professor Mathebula is a seasoned leader with over three decades of experience in governance, financial management, regulatory oversight, and institutional leadership across both public and private sectors.
His distinguished career includes senior executive roles at the South African Reserve Bank, the South African Revenue Service and Absa Group.

He currently serves as Director and Head of the Tshwane School for Business and Society at Tshwane University of Technology, and has held a variety of professorial and Senate leadership responsibilities. Professor Mathebula has been appointed by the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Honourable Buti Manamela, in accordance with Sections 17A to 17D of the NSFAS Act.

Prof Mathebula is assuming this role at such a pivotal moment for NSFAS and the broader higher education and training sector. NSFAS is a cornerstone of South Africa’s commitment to social justice, as it provides access to higher education and training for young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

For many families, NSFAS is the bridge between exclusion and opportunity. Its stability and integrity are essential for South Africa’s overall future.

As Administrator, Professor Mathebula’s mandate encompasses stabilisation, operational continuity, and institutional renewal, with a focus on the following priorities:

• Strengthening governance and internal controls;
• Addressing audit and consequence-management weaknesses;
• Accelerating ICT and systems integration reforms;
• Stabilising student funding operations;
• Enhancing oversight of student accommodation;
• Resolving appeals and service-delivery backlogs; and
• Preparing NSFAS for a return to stable, ordinary governance.
  

Professor Mathebula will be scheduling introductory courtesy meetings with institutions and representative bodies within the education sector during the month of June 2026.

These engagements will provide a platform to discuss the current state and future trajectory of NSFAS, address immediate operational challenges, and gain invaluable insights from stakeholders’ perspectives and concerns.

Professor Mathebula is committed to forging stronger ties with relevant stakeholders to enable real co-creation and support for this vital asset.

Through strengthened accountability and enhanced service delivery, NSFAS will continue to support academic success, institutional stability, and social justice.