Student raises thousands on Twitter but it’s an iota of varsities’ R7bn fees debt

Annet Matebwe is in a race against time to raise R34 000 to clear her university debt in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal by Friday.

She has turned to social media in a desperate bid to settle her outstanding fees.

“I was inspired by a trend on Twitter where a girl managed to get crowdfunding for a visa to go to the UK,” she said, adding that she thought good Samaritans would help her settle her fees.

Her mother has thus far managed to raise and pay more than R120 000 towards her education.

Ahmed Bawa, chief executive of Universities South Africa, said the overall historic student debt on the books of the universities stood at R7 billion.

“However, all students with National Student Financial Aid Scheme grants in 2016 and/or 2017 will have their historic debt taken care of by the department of higher education and training,” he said.

Cherrel Africa, the University of the Western Cape’s interim spokesperson said for the April 2018 graduation season, about 630 students still owed R14.5 million in outstanding fees – an average of R11 500 per student.

According to the university, those students were allowed to graduate “symbolically”, which meant they could attend the ceremony and receive a letter of completion but not their certificates. Students used the letter to get employment and start paying their debts or apply for bursaries to study further.

Matebwe said she hadn’t been looking forward to the graduation because it would involve walking on stage to graduate symbolically but with no certificate to take home.

Early this month, she took to Twitter seeking assistance to clear her university debt.

She wrote: “Hello Twitter, I need your help. If 500 people could donate R68, I could graduate and get my degree’s complete certificate (LLB) on the 20th of April at UKZN. This would mean the world to me. Please RT. I promise I am worth investing in.”

She also posted her university’s invoice with outstanding amounts as proof that she was not aiming to defraud the public. She encouraged people to deposit their contributions directly to the university’s bank account with her student number as a reference. By late Saturday, she had raised R12 838.

City Press had independently confirmed her particulars after calling the university.

The student lawyer said she had received overwhelming support from strangers who donated funds towards settling the fees.

At least two Twitter users donated R1000 each and another contributed R500, a gesture that left her overjoyed.

“Now it’s no longer my graduation; it’s our graduation. A lot of lawyers have been supportive, which I find inspirational.

She plans “to make a difference” in the country and in Africa by working with non-governmental organisations and international organisations instead of corporate law firms.

Matebwe is already studying towards a Master of Laws (LLM) degree at the University of the Western Cape after receiving a German scholarship.

Willa de Ruyter, spokesperson for Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), said at least 7733 students still owed the university about R123 million.

TUT also allowed students with outstanding debt to attend their graduation ceremonies.

“In the process, they receive an acknowledgement letter from the university indicating that they have successfully completed their studies,” De Ruyter said.

However, Cape Peninsula University of Technology spokesperson, Lauren Kansley, said they would confer qualifications on 2335 graduates next week including those who owed the institution.

They do not withhold qualifications on the basis of owed fees.

Qualifications were only withheld in cases involving international students because the institution might not be able to trace them once they left the country.

Herman Esterhuizen, University of Johannesburg spokesperson said all qualifying students were allowed to graduate irrespective of outstanding fees. However, 350 graduates owing the university more than R1000 would get their physical certificate after settling the outstanding fees.

At Wits University, qualifying students with outstanding fees could request an official letter from the university confirming that they had completed their academic programme.

Buhle Zuma, Wits spokesperson, said: “Students will, however, need to sign an acknowledgment of debt form in order to acquire this letter. Some companies have offered to pay for prospective employees.”

• What would move you to help a student settle an outstanding university debt? Let us know what you think in the comments below