This text is a sequel of the October 2019 post about the same subject. The previous post can be read on this link. It would be to your benefit to start by reading it, before reading the rest of this text.
Like the previous article, if you are reading this text, you are most likely an aspirant entrepreneur or an investor who has interest in a student accommodation business. The assumption is that any aspirant entrepreneur or business person is familiar with what PESTEL is, and can infer the E and the L that is the subject of this text.
It is important to note that the best effort was made by the author to get accurate information for this article. However, the information provided here was accurate on the date which it was published. Practices and statutory provisions change frequently, and it is the responsibility of interested parties to keep up with those changes, rather than the author of this text.
Five days ago, over a billion Catholics across the world commemorated the Assumption of Mary. Any good Catholic would be familiar with this because they closely follow the Liturgical calendar of their church.
Similarly, the English Premier League season started last week. As of today, with all 20 teams having played one game each, Arsenal is number 2 on the League table log. Most soccer fans know this because they closely follow developments in their favourite sports.
Of course the Catholic Liturgical Calendar, and the English Premier League have nothing to do with the student accommodation in institutions in South Africa. The point is, if one is to become an accomplished student accommodation provider, it is in their interest to closely follow developments in the sector.
If you are reading this, it is likely that you do not follow the NSFAS account on Twitter/X, on Facebook and probably do not follow social media accounts of the institutions to which you wish to provide accommodation. You also do not check the NSFAS website frequently, even though you think they will fund some of your potential clients. You are probably also not subscribed to any weekly newspaper, where NSFAS, or the institution might place an advert about students accommodation. So, it is the point of self-reflection to consider why is it that you wish to become the student accommodation provider, yet you do not closely follow developments in the sector in the similar way that Catholics do their Liturgical Calendar, and the footballs fans do with the League table. Among the questions you should ask yourself is how, exactly, do you hope information about the sector you wish to participate in, will reach you? The government communicators who try to reach you through social media, newspapers, TV and radio have failed to reach you, how else do you suppose they should get hold of you to give you the information you need for your potential business?
At the time of writing this text, NSFAS was undergoing provincial Students Accommodation Roadshows across the country.
On 02 August 2024 at 19:32, the NSFAS Twitter/X account that you have not been following tweeted about the roadshows;
Hey Fam ????
The wait is over, the NSFAS Student Accommodation roadshow will be kicking of from the 07 August 2024. Join the NSFAS Administrator, Mr. Freeman Nomvalo and the NSFAS team to address issues within the PSET sector and the success of #NSFAS#NSFAS2024 pic.twitter.com/VYQDhhsmIh— NSFAS (@myNSFAS) August 2, 2024
On the 05 August 2024, the same Twitter/X account tweeted that there was going to be a media briefing by NSFAS that was scheduled for Tuesday, 06 August 2024;
NSFAS MEDIA BRIEFING ON GOVERNANCE, MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION AT NSFAS pic.twitter.com/l9SRiLdGwZ
— NSFAS (@myNSFAS) August 5, 2024
You might have been far from the TV at the time and missed the media briefing about the matter to which you wish to spend millions of rands. However, the SABC streamed it live on their YouTube channel. The government YouTube channel also streamed the media briefing live. So, being away from the TV does not really absolve you from responsibility to follow the developments in the sector you wish to invest in. Furthermore, the videos are permanently archived on YouTube in the provided links, you could have watched the media briefing afterwards.
Among other things, at this media briefing, the NSFAS Administrator, mentioned, as per the 02 August 2024 tweet, that NSFAS would be conducting Students Accommodation Roadshows in various provinces across the country.
At the time of writing this text, the NSFAS Student Accommodation Roadshows in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Free State had already passed. One of the aspirant accommodation providers in KZN contacted the author of this text, which is what prompted the writing of this article, as it was unclear to the author how this aspirant entrepreneur missed the KZN leg of the Roadshow.
The outstanding NSFAS Students Accommodation Roadshows that were upcoming at the time of writing were;
| Date | Place | |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 22 Aug 2024 | Rustenburg, North West | |
| Monday, 26 Aug 2024 | Kimberley, Northern Cape | |
| Wednesday, 28 Aug 2024 | Nelspruit, Mpumalanga | |
| Thursday, 29 Aug 2024 | Mthatha, Eastern Cape | |
| Friday, 30 Aug 2024 | Gqeberha, Eastern Cape | |
| Wednesday, 04 Sep 2024 | Tshwane, Gauteng | |
| Thursday, 05 Sep 2024 | Vaal, Gauteng | |
| Friday, 06 Sep 2024 | Johannesburg, Gauteng | |
| Monday, 09 Sep 2024 | Polokwane, Limpopo |
While these dates were sourced directly from NSFAS, indications are that the Limpopo Roadshows was initially scheduled for Friday, 23 August 2024, but it was postponed to Monday, 09 September 2024. This is pointed out to remind the aspirant entrepreneur or investor that they need to follow the NSFAS social media accounts, and frequently check the NSFAS website, to stay updated. If no updates, are forthcoming, users are welcome to ask the NSFAS social media account for details about this, including exact venues and times.
At the time of writing, this author discovered that NSFAS had not been tweeting upcoming events, their Twitter/X accounts mostly tweets the photos from the Roadshow on the day of the roadshow. The author advised their colleagues at NSFAS to correct this. But the entrepreneur who follows the account would have asked the NSFAS account to give details, that oversight by NSFAS does not excuse the entrepreneur’s lack of initiative. In any case the information for the Roadshows is available on the NSFAS Website, which is one of the platforms that the entrepreneur ought to be checking frequently.
While scanning the internet for this article, the author discovered that a “KZN GOVERNMENT TV BROADCASTS” YouTube account, did broadcast the Durban leg of the KZN Roadshow on their channel. It is a 6-hour video, that an aspirant property practitioner who would like to spend millions on the sector should be willing to watch.
In the ongoing NSFAS Student Accommodation Roadshows, government has invested money, and more importantly, time, to reach out to the stakeholders. Stakeholders who fail to follow developments in their sector, miss the Roadshows, then request meetings with officials, or Ministers and Deputy Ministers, would essentially be requesting that government duplicate the work it has just completed, which is unfair on government, as that time could be used for other government work, and servicing other stakeholders.
The information provided here was accurate on the date which it was published. Practices and statutory provisions change frequently, and it is the responsibility of interested parties to keep up with those changes, rather than the author of this text.