Matriculants who have not applied to higher education institutions have been advised to refrain from just walking in to register.
This follows EFF leader Julius Malema encouraging students to go and register at universities after President Jacob Zuma’s announcement on free education.
Malema posted on his Twitter account on Sunday night that his party members would be camping out at universities across the country to make sure that all those who wished to register (without applying for or having funds) were allowed to do so.
“We must make sure that in 2018, all academically deserving students are admitted freely into South African universities and FET (colleges).
“We call upon those who passed their matric extremely well in the past and found themselves as petrol attendants, retail or security guards because they couldn’t afford university fees, to report to the academic institution of their choice,” said Malema.
He added: “The EFF will be at the gates of all institutions of higher learning to ensure that priority is not only given to those who can pay.”
Universities South Africa (Usaf) has announced that in an effort to avoid stampedes prospective students should not just walk into institutions, but instead go online through the Department of Higher Education and Training's Central Applications Clearing House (Cach).
The Cach system was established a few years ago to place students who did not apply to any higher education institution, but have now passed matric and want to further their studies.
Usaf said they were now working to ensure that last year’s surprise announcement on free education by Zuma is complied with.
Zuma said students from households with a combined annual income of R350000 or less will have their TVET or university studies fully subsidised for first-year students this year and fully phased in over five years.
There will also be no fee increments for students with a household income of up to R600000 a year.
Usaf spokesperson Professor Ahmed Bawa said: “Usaf met with the De[artment of Higher Education and Training and with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to discuss the implications of that announcement. “To our dismay, we discovered at that meeting that the decision of the government to implement the new system was a fait accompli.
“Our task then, as universities, was to work out how to implement the new NSFAS provisions in ways that are most effective and beneficial to the students and potential students.”
Bawa said it was decided at the meeting that since 26 universities were still on holiday, no "walk-in" applications would be accepted.
“We understood clearly that there are first-year students who didn’t previously qualify for financial aid, but who now do under the new NSFAS dispensation. A clearly defined pathway should be established for such potential candidates.”
“These students will have to apply through the Cach system.
“We therefore call on students and parents who are anxious to determine if they qualify for the new NSFAS dispensation to go this route.
"Usaf is deeply concerned by the call made by some political leaders for students to simply turn up at universities for enrolment, without having made appropriate prior arrangements for their admission.
"This is unfortunate, as it could result in a replay of events with potential to cause injury to students and their families,” Bawa warned.
He said it might have tragic consequences as in 2012, when a woman died in a stampede at the University of Johannesburg.
Bawa said: “South Africa’s 26 public universities were taken by surprise by Zuma's announcement We have raised our concerns about the timing of that announcement and the absence of a clear implementation strategy, implementation plan and adequate roll-out time for such a significant development in the funding of our public higher education system.
“Ideally, we would have liked a year to roll out the new system. Instead, we have two to three weeks. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about the use of the student fee issue as a political football," he said.