At just 18, Atenkosi Mzilikazi refuses to let poverty decide the limits of her future. The first-year University of Cape Town (UCT) student has taken to selling ice in her neighbourhood and knocking on doors for small donations, determined to stay in class despite being blocked from registering because of unpaid fees.
Mzilikazi, who comes from Amalinda in East London in the Eastern Cape, owes the university about R130,000. Because her debt exceeds R10,000, she has been placed under a fee block — a policy that prevents her from registering, accessing her results or applying for further funding. Her situation reflects a growing crisis at UCT, where total student debt surpassed R1 billion by the end of December 2025.
Last year, Mzilikazi enrolled for a Bachelor of Social Science degree, majoring in sociology and African feminist studies. But when the academic year ended, she was unable to access her results because of outstanding fees. Without those results, she cannot apply for bursaries or other forms of financial aid, leaving her trapped in a cycle of exclusion.
Although she received partial funding through a bursary linked to her father’s workplace, it was not enough to cover her full costs. She also applied for assistance from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), hoping it would bridge the gap. Instead, she was later told her application had gone missing from the system and was advised to take a gap year — an option she says she simply could not accept.
Raised by an unemployed mother, Mzilikazi is determined to become the first in her family to graduate from university. Her two older siblings were forced to abandon their studies because there was no money, and she has watched her mother struggle to provide for the family. That history, she says, fuels her resolve to keep going, no matter how difficult the road becomes.
Since December, she has been raising funds on her own. She sells ice, goes door to door asking for R10 donations, and has launched a BackaBuddy campaign, which has so far raised about R20,000. While some people were sceptical at first, suspecting she was asking for money for festive season spending, many in her community listened to her story and offered support.
Student leaders say Mzilikazi’s struggle is far from unique. The South African Union of Students (SAUS) warns that tens of thousands of students across universities and TVET colleges are being financially excluded due to unpaid debt. According to SAUS, rising tuition fees, high living costs, accommodation shortages and stagnant state support are pushing more students into crisis.
SAUS also points to serious failures within NSFAS, including late payments, incorrect allowances and funding disruptions, which often leave students facing hunger, eviction and interrupted studies. Particular concern has been raised about the so-called “missing middle” — families who earn too much to qualify for NSFAS but too little to afford university costs.
UCT says it has introduced measures to assist students, including allowing those with debt below R10,000 to register and expanding internal bursaries and donor funding. Still, for students like Mzilikazi, the gap remains daunting.
Despite everything, she remains focused. “I’m pushing as hard as I can,” she says. “I just want to make my family proud.”
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