The Student Debt Relief Bill 2025 – Cancel All Student Debt.

Over 300,000 young South Africans have completed their studies but cannot receive their qualifications because of debt. The EFF's Student Debt Relief Bill will change that — forever.

The Scale of the Crisis

Numbers that demand action

300K+
Graduates Trapped
Young South Africans who completed their studies but cannot receive their degrees due to unpaid fees.
R17Bn
Total Student Debt
National student debt has grown from R11Bn in 2017 at an average of R2 billion per year.
10+
Years of Inaction
Since #FeesMustFall in 2015, the ANC government has failed to deliver free, accessible education.
0
ANC Response
The Department of Higher Education has refused to comment on the Student Debt Relief Bill.

The Debt Trap

Two Choices. Both Are a Trap.

Young people in South Africa were told: go to school, and the doors of learning shall be opened. They went. They completed their studies. And now the government keeps those doors locked — with debt.

Black students and young black women bear the heaviest burden. Many owe as little as R5,000 yet face lifelong barriers to employment. Without a certificate, you cannot work. Without work, you cannot pay your debt. Without paying, they will not release your certificate.

This is a deliberate cycle of exclusion. Student debt has become a tool of neo-liberal policy that criminalises the poor and turns public institutions into gatekeepers of privilege.

"Education must empower young people to change their conditions, improve their families, liberate their communities, and contribute meaningfully to the economy." — EFF Student Debt Cancellation Bill Statement

National Student Debt Growth (R Billions)

2017R11 Billion
2019R13 Billion
2021R15 Billion
2024R17 Billion
2026 ProjectedR21 Billion+

Source: EFF Student Debt Cancellation Bill Statement & Parliamentary records

“Young people in South Africa face two difficult choices: either start their careers burdened by heavy debt that traps them for years, or remain unemployed because their qualifications are withheld due to unpaid fees. Addressing student debt is urgent and necessary.”

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Register To Vote & Back the Student Debt Bill



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