Reports of a first-year Durban University of Technology student committing suicide over not being granted funding for his studies were untrue, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists during a social protection, community and human development cluster briefing in Cape Town, Nzimande said an application for funding by Lindelani Myeza, 19, to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) had been successful.
“NSFAS can confirm that at the time of his death, Mr Myeza had applied for funding and was successfully funded based on the NSFAS means test. Consequently, he was allowed to register for the 2016 academic year and he had been informed about this at the time of his death,” Nzimande said quoting a missive he had been sent from NSFAS.
“The university further pointed out to me that though this matter is subject to police investigation…there is some indication that there was some altercation that the late Mr Myeza was involved in, but…police now are on the matter.”
Myeza fell six floors to his death at one of the university residences on Friday.
Police opened an inquest docket shortly after the incident.
Following the incident, social media networks were abuzz with claims that Myeza, from Dundee, had leapt to his death after NSFAS turned down his application for student funding.
– African News Agency (ANA)
Durban student did not commit suicide over NSFAS refusal of funding – Nzimande
Reports of a first-year Durban University of Technology student committing suicide over not being granted funding for his studies were untrue, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists during a social protection, community and human development cluster briefing in Cape Town, Nzimande said an application for funding by Lindelani Myeza, 19, to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) had been successful.
“NSFAS can confirm that at the time of his death, Mr Myeza had applied for funding and was successfully funded based on the NSFAS means test. Consequently, he was allowed to register for the 2016 academic year and he had been informed about this at the time of his death,” Nzimande said quoting a missive he had been sent from NSFAS.
“The university further pointed out to me that though this matter is subject to police investigation…there is some indication that there was some altercation that the late Mr Myeza was involved in, but…police now are on the matter.”
Myeza fell six floors to his death at one of the university residences on Friday.
Police opened an inquest docket shortly after the incident.
Following the incident, social media networks were abuzz with claims that Myeza, from Dundee, had leapt to his death after NSFAS turned down his application for student funding.
– African News Agency (ANA)
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