Am I supposed to pay tax?

I am a foreign student studying in South Africa, I got a part time job earning about R20,000. I resigned after 2yrs 8months. I was informed there is a provident fund I was to collect. The company was deducting tax from me every month. Was I supposed to pay tax? And will this affect the tax directive for me to receive my provident fund

Yes you were supposed to pay tax, the company would have been deducting the correct amount - you should actually file a tax return because there should be a refund for you given you only worked 8 months in the last year. This will not affect your provident fund payout however.