Months after Nelson Mandela University introduced shuttle stickers for students using its off-campus transport service, unfunded students say the requirement continues to make it difficult for them to attend classes and travel safely between campus and their residences.
The university introduced shuttle stickers in March 2026 as an identification measure for students using its off-campus shuttle services. However, for students without funding, the issue has become more than a matter of access to transport.
Two NMU students, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they are often forced to choose between paying for transport and meeting basic needs such as food.
One of the students, an Honours in Media Studies student living in off-campus student accommodation, said being unfunded means having to find money for transport while also trying to afford food and other necessities.
“As an unfunded student, you have to hustle for food first. You have to hustle for a bus ticket, taxi or e-hailing fare, which is really difficult for us with no bursaries, no external income or income coming directly from parents,” the student said.
The student said the situation is particularly difficult because most classes are conducted face-to-face.
“In order for us to attend, we have to make our own means to get to campus,” the student said.
At times, walking is the only option.
“Sometimes we walk, which takes an hour and a half, and then you have to come back. This means you get to campus tired and return home tired and hungry. It is something we have been living with,” the student said.
The student also alleged that shuttles sometimes leave with vacant seats because students without shuttle stickers are not allowed to board.
“A shuttle will leave you even if, for example, a 15-seater takes only seven students and there is still space. It will just leave because we do not have shuttle stickers,” the student said.
“It is a horrible situation for us as unfunded students.”
A Postgraduate Certificate in Education student who lives in Central said the shuttle requirement has also placed additional pressure on her finances.
“My funds often run out before the end of the month, which makes it very difficult to get to campus and focus on my studies,” the student said.
She said travelling home after late classes was an additional concern.
“On days when we leave campus late, we are forced to use taxis. This is not safe, as the taxis drop us in town, which is quite far from where I stay. I then have to walk the remaining distance, and this puts me at risk of being robbed,” she said.
According to the student, the situation affects both her safety and her ability to attend classes consistently.
SRC President Somila Komani said the SRC was opposed to the current shuttle sticker system, arguing that university transport should not be limited to NSFAS-funded students.
“From our side as the SRC, we are against this shuttle stickers and shuttle cards thing,” Komani said.
She argued that the university should develop a broader transport framework that considers the needs of all registered students who live off campus.
“Away with the shuttle stickers, because access to one must be access to all. You cannot deny other students access due to not having NSFAS or funding,” Komani said.
Questions were also put to NSFAS about students whose funding had been withdrawn but who were appealing or attempting to resolve their funding status.
Asked whether NSFAS was aware that such students could also be affected by the shuttle sticker requirement, NSFAS spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said: “NSFAS can only commit to students whose funding decisions have been finalized and confirmed to students themselves and their institutions.”
NMU spokesperson Zandile Ngwendu said the university uses identification measures to ensure student safety and to make sure that its shuttle services are accessed by eligible students.
“The university uses identification measures to ensure students’ safety and that its shuttle services are accessed by eligible students,” Ngwendu said.
She said that for the off-campus shuttle service, shuttle stickers are issued to registered students residing in accredited student accommodation who pay the applicable transport levy.
For inter-campus travel, however, students are not required to have shuttle stickers.
“For inter-campus travel, students are only required to present a valid Nelson Mandela University student card,” Ngwendu said.
For affected students, however, the responses from NMU and NSFAS do not yet resolve the immediate challenge of getting to campus safely and consistently while funding disputes, appeals and financial hardship remain unresolved.
A practical solution would require NMU, NSFAS and the SRC to urgently agree on an interim transport arrangement for registered off-campus students affected by funding delays, withdrawn funding, pending appeals or inability to pay the transport levy.
This could include temporary verification for students with unresolved funding statuses, emergency transport support, and a clear process for those who need assistance to attend compulsory face-to-face classes.
NMU should also make shuttle access rules, application processes and appeal options clearer, while NSFAS should ensure that funding decisions and appeals are communicated timeously to both students and the university.
Until such measures are implemented, affected students may continue to face the painful choice between transport, food, safety and academic attendance.
