--- title: "Postgraduates sell weed, wigs and vetkoek to beat student funding gaps" description: "As government funding falls short of meeting the needs of thousands of postgraduate students, many are turning to entrepreneurship to survive, balancing businesses with demanding academic workloads just to pay for food, accommodation and tuition." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "ACADEMIC STRUGGLE" author: "Siyabonga Goni" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/siyabonga-gooni/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-29-postgraduates-sell-weed-wigs-and-vetkoek-to-beat-student-funding-gaps/" published: "2026-07-29T22:41:12" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 1707 --- # Postgraduates sell weed, wigs and vetkoek to beat student funding gaps > As government funding falls short of meeting the needs of thousands of postgraduate students, many are turning to entrepreneurship to survive, balancing businesses with demanding academic workloads just to pay for food, accommodation and tuition. By Siyabonga Goni · Published 30 July 2026, 00:41 SAST ## Key points - Postgraduate students face a widening funding gap and many are juggling side businesses — from vetkoek stalls to sausage stands and wig supplies to afford food, rent and tuition while completing degrees and PhDs. - An NRF report shows total funding rose 8% since 2020, but fewer postgrads are being funded after a policy shift to larger, full‑cost grants — a trade‑off that leaves thousands without support. - The fallout is stark: universities wrestle with mounting student debt (about R59bn), and more than 165,000 graduates can’t collect certificates while institutions scramble with bursaries and campaigns. - Universities say only a sustainable national postgraduate funding model will fix this, but the Department of Higher Education and Training hasn’t replied to Daily Maverick, and NSFAS declined to outline postgraduate plans — leaving students to improvise or postpone their studies. ## Content For many South African students, graduating does not mark the end of financial hardship. Instead, pursuing an honours, master’s or doctoral degree often means entering a funding gap where government support is limited, institutional bursaries are highly competitive and many deserving students simply do not qualify for available funding. While organisations such as the National Research Foundation (NRF), Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas), the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research provide financial assistance to some postgraduate students, thousands are left to fend for themselves. In an [NRF report](https://www.nrf.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/NRF-Data-Insights_Volume-3.pdf), the foundation mentioned that total funding had increased, growing by 8% since 2020. However, the total number of funded postgraduate students declined. This decline occurred because of a strategic decision to allocate the budget toward higher individual grant values, introducing full cost of study funding to better support diversity, success and throughput. ![Student protests continue at UCT. (Photo: Ernst Calitz)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/9IMN2d7UAKEVtSzDKwmVP0DR4Kg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_2232.jpg) *Students protest against university fee policies at UCT. (Photo: Ernst Calitz)* Without comprehensive postgraduate funding similar to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), many students are forced to find alternative ways to finance their studies, accommodation and daily living costs. For some, that has meant becoming entrepreneurs while trying to complete demanding academic programmes. The financial strain extends beyond those still studying. While students often sign acknowledgement of debt forms to register for an academic year, universities continue to grapple with mounting student debt while thousands of graduates remain unable to collect their qualification certificates because of unpaid fees. Daily Maverick has reported that more than 165,000 graduates have completed their studies, but cannot collect their certificates because of outstanding debt. Total student debt is estimated at R59-billion. [STUDENT DEBT CRISIS South Africa cannot afford to lock 165,000 graduates out of the economy June 9, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/IXJthxIK2_Ba2krM1ftFvUNld5Q=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ED_438814-1.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-09-south-africa-cannot-afford-to-lock-165000-graduates-out-of-the-economy/) ### **Students open businesses** Daily Maverick spoke to students to gain an understanding of the impact of having no funding. Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) honours student Sibabalwe Ngandana runs a baking business to support himself each month. “Knowing the financial constraints back home, asking my parents for basic living expenses was deeply uncomfortable, especially when I knew they simply couldn’t afford it. “I run a small food business selling fresh amagwinya (vetkoek/ fat cakes) to fellow students. The revenue I generate directly pays for my monthly groceries and daily living expenses, keeping me fed and grounded day to day. I am saving a portion of the earnings to gradually pay down what I owe the institution,” said Ngandana. He said that if he had a bursary, he would not have opened a business. “Having that financial safety net would have allowed me to focus strictly on my academic work without the added pressure of running an enterprise to survive. “However, looking back, I am grateful that circumstances forced me into entrepreneurship. It helped me build self-reliance and revealed a long-term business model that I now plan to grow even further,” said Ngandana. ![SIya-Mathebula-spendingspree](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/PFf9TlqKPW9xsAjlKynlM_vckIg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/ACapePeninsulaUniversityofTechnologystudentboughtabakkietodeliverfoodwithhopestoearnextraincomemonthlyImagesupplied_319225.jpeg) *A Cape Peninsula University of Technology student bought a scooter to deliver food, with the hope of earning extra income. (Photo: Supplied)* Another postgraduate student, who asked not to be named, has also had to create multiple income streams to remain enrolled. “I do own a scooter, which I had to buy last year when I was working. I got a contract for four months and I had to make sure that I budget and get something that will sustain myself for this year. It’s been five months without a driver; I don’t have a driver. I’ve been trying to get one. I also opened another business of sausages,” said the student. Despite his entrepreneurial efforts, uncertainty over funding continues to overshadow his studies. “Not having funding, it affects a lot. Sometimes I stress about academics on the side: who will pay for the academics because I am not working, even if I call back at home, especially when I know that it’s only one person who’s working… they have children also to support or take care of so they can go to school,” said the student. ![SIya-Mathebula-spendingspree](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/2ummGbTSKd6InfoD0u7w7UlScp0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WangaMammburu_256111.jpeg) *Wanga Mammburu, a Wits student, says funding would have eased financial difficulties and pressure. She sells hairdressing items to sustain herself. (Image: Supplied / Wanga Mammburu)* Wanga Mammburu, a University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) virology honours student, told Daily Maverick that having funding would have eased pressure. Mammburu runs a hair business supplying other students with products to install wigs. “I have been able to do my research and continue my academic work despite the financial challenges. There have been occasional constraints, but my small business has helped me manage my expenses. Additional funding would, however, ease financial difficulties and pressure... I would 100% wish there were more funding options available for postgraduate students, especially for students who did an academic degree and not a professional degree like myself. “This is because an academic degree almost always forces you to pursue a postgraduate degree because it does not equip you with the skills needed in \[the\] workplace,” said Mammburu. “ ### **Alcohol and weed** Hair, food and transportation businesses are not the only ways students make a living. Daily Maverick found that students also sell alcohol and weed (marijuana) to make money. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a student said the loss of funding after completing his diploma forced him into selling alcohol. “I had to find something to eat at the end of the day. So I struggled adjusting to that, to a point where I ended up starting a business. I started selling alcohol here in the residence. I’m not proud of the decision I took, but still, at the end of the day, I have to get something to eat. “What pushed me is that I did not have money to buy groceries. My father is not working. My mother is currently ill; that is also another problem I was facing,” said the student. Another student said he started selling marijuana as he was struggling. “The lack of funding affects me in many ways. I am a student; I need to buy eggs and bread and to be able to go to school. The fact \[is\] that I do not have funding or a bursary despite excelling in academics. I have to make a living outside NSFAS, hence I am selling \[marijuana\]. What I am selling is just to sustain a living,” said the student. ![SIya-Mathebula-spendingspree](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/9vXQag3Rnt9Xmr4TUA3JNnDs08U=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/unnamed_990942.jpg) *A lack of funding for postgraduate studies has led to some students selling marijuana at university accommodations to enable them to buy food and other essentials. (Photo: Supplied)* ### **Postgraduate funding and debt** Recognising the financial pressure on students, universities told Daily Maverick they were expanding institutional bursaries, seeking donor funding and launching debt-relief campaigns. But they acknowledged that these interventions could not replace a sustainable national postgraduate education funding model. ![Siya-postgrad-funding](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/odfLf1rjXlzGEWCg9LzK8miWkO0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/107535763_10158917792381133_4287071643290872984_n.jpeg) *The University of Pretoria. (Photo: Facebook / @UPTuksAlumni)* The University of Pretoria (UP) said the issue of student debt was a real crisis and that it had been trying to aid students. The university launched the [“Degrees Delivered”](https://www.up.ac.za/news/launches-degrees-delivered-campaign-tackle-historical-student-debt) campaign to raise R50-million between 2026 and 2028 to clear historical student debt. Since the launch, R10.3-million has been raised. “Nationally, historic student debt is estimated at approximately R24-billion, with the University of Pretoria accounting for approximately R1-billion of this total. “Every year, thousands of graduates complete their studies and meet every academic requirement for their qualification. Yet for many, outstanding historic debt prevents them from accessing the very certificate that unlocks employment, professional registration and further study… We are targeting around 1,500 graduates (degree certificates) – 500 \[a year\] over the three years of the campaign,” said spokesperson Rikus Delport. [HIGHER EDUCATION Deputy minister proposes replacing NSFAS with direct Treasury funding June 11, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/OaP4wcZUujCgZQX93HrCCf6P5W0=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/orphans/Siya_Taku-Gondwe-NSFAS2_147753.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-11-deputy-minister-proposes-replacing-nsfas-with-direct-treasury-funding-/) “Dedicated postgraduate funding could play an important role in reducing financial pressure on both students and universities. For students, postgraduate study often comes with significant costs, including tuition, research-related expenses and living costs (especially since many postgrad students have families). Without adequate and sufficient funding, postgrad students may be forced to delay or abandon advanced studies, take on additional debt or work while studying, which can affect their academic progress,” said Delport. University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) spokesperson Shirona Patel said there was a dedicated fundraising division that actively engaged with potential donors and funding partners to expand financial support for students. “In 2025, a total of 6,520 postgraduate students received funding to the value of R466-million. If funding similar to NSFAS was available, deserving students would be able to pursue postgraduate studies immediately after completing their undergraduate degrees instead of delaying to further their studies due to funding. Positively impacting research outputs in South Africa, driving knowledge creation and innovation \[and\] expanding postgraduate education is essential to building the country’s critical skills pipeline,” said Patel. She said the university welcomed funding and donations from a range of external organisations, including NRF, the South African Medical Research Council and Setas. ![Siya-postgrad-funding](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/yLNJzX4uP4p6Qt3rwgZU-PGgHng=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/wage-talks-break-down-cput.jpg) *The District Six Campus of Cape Peninsula University of Technology. (Photo: Flickr)* The Cape Peninsula University of Technology said that for the 2026 academic year to date, 144 postgraduate students had benefited from internally and externally funded bursaries, including NRF-administered bursaries by the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, with a combined value of about R14.57-million. “Additional postgraduate funding at a national level could provide more predictable and equitable support for tuition, research costs and reasonable living expenses. This could reduce financially driven interruptions and withdrawals, improve completion times and lessen the pressure on universities to use limited institutional funding to address funding shortfalls,” said spokesperson Lauren Kansley. The responses from universities paint a consistent picture: while institutions are trying to bridge the gap through fundraising and limited bursary support, they believe a dedicated national postgraduate funding model would ease pressure on students, improve research output and reduce the financial burden carried by universities themselves. **DM** > **Official deflection** > Daily Maverick asked the Department of Higher Education and Training whether it was developing a more accessible postgraduate funding model and what support it was providing to universities. By the time of publication, department spokesperson Matshepo Seedat had not responded. > > NSFAS was also asked whether it had plans to introduce postgraduate funding. The scheme responded: “NSFAS is disinclined to answer your latter questions presently.”