The Halyard building in Cape Town on 21 February 2023. (Photo: Shelley Christians) 
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is spending more than R2.5-million a month on rent for its five floors in the glossy Halyard building on Cape Town’s Foreshore. Yet staff were left stunned last week when a burst pipe caused the ceiling to collapse, flooding carpets and almost destroying computers.
The incident occurred on the 17th floor in the early hours of Wednesday, 13 August 2025. Workers were not in the office at the time, and sources who work there say the damage could have caused panic and injury had they been present.
Read more: NSFAS set to leave R2m-a-month Cape Town offices after minister moves to terminate lease.
“The roof (ceiling) collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday morning; no one was at the office. The roof fell on PCs (computers); the pieces of the roof were on desks, and there was water. Before this, the workers were smelling diesel, but the health and safety officer downplayed this and said this came from the harbour and had nothing to do with the building,” said a female worker, who spoke to Daily Maverick anonymously.
An internal NSFAS email dated 18 August, seen by Daily Maverick, said the incident was “caused by a burst sprinkler pipe due to a mechanical failure in the sprinkler pump room, resulting in pressure build-up and subsequent rupture on the 17th floor. No diesel pipes are installed or present on the 17th floor.” The email also noted that repairs had been completed.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Water-on-the-floor.jpg "A burst pipe resulted in water flooding the carpets on the 17th-floor offices of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. (Photo: Supplied)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Ceiling-has-fallen-and-there-are-holes-in-it.jpg "A hole in the ceiling reveals the water pipe that burst as a result of a mechanical failure in the sprinkler pump room. (Photo: Supplied)")
Staff remain unconvinced
“We refrain from coming to the office until we are satisfied that our constituency can go back to the institution… The sprinklers damaged computers, and the carpet was wet,” said another source, adding that the 17th floor houses more than 100 employees, including 50 interns.
The NSFAS branch of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union has now intervened. Branch chairperson Linda Mcetywa said no staff under the membership of the union should return until the union is satisfied that the building meets safety standards: “We said that there is no way that we can allow any staff member of NSFAS to come and occupy the building until certificates of compliance have been issued to the trade union. This certificate is supposed to come from the Department of Labour.”
Read more: NSFAS battles backlogs, staff and tech woes as MPs criticise R2m rent for swish Cape Town offices.
She added that despite the steep rental bill, the offices are not even disability friendly. “And also remember NSFAS has a facility for working that is called the working centre to allow students who are residing within our proximity to come and enquire about any matters related to funding. You could imagine that even students who may have disabilities cannot access the building because the building itself is not disability friendly.”
The ceiling collapse comes after workers staged a three-day picket outside the building this month, demanding action against alleged corruption, mismanagement and poor working conditions.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Ceiling-falls-on-desk.jpg "Pieces of ceiling landed on desks. (Photo: Supplied)")
NSFAS responds
NSFAS spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi confirmed the incident but downplayed its impact.
“This was a technical malfunction that could not reasonably have been foreseen or prevented. The fault has since been fully repaired by a professional company appointed by the property owner,” he said.
“No NSFAS equipment or furniture was damaged. Following a full inspection by ICT, all systems and devices were found to be operational. The sprinkler pipe was repaired before 11am on the same day, and the affected carpeted areas were vacuumed and steam-cleaned by the landlord’s contractors.”
He added that “comprehensive remediation has been undertaken, including replacement of damaged ceiling boards, secondary deep cleaning of the affected areas, and ongoing use of humidifiers to ensure the space remains dry.”
Regarding ongoing staff complaints about the lifts, Mnisi said these remained the landlord’s responsibility. “We can confirm that the lifts underwent their most recent scheduled service on 4 August 2025.”
Staff members are working remotely until the union receives a certificate confirming that the environment is safe. DM