Cape Town - Suitcases and blankets lined the entrance to the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s (CPUT) Bellville Campus yesterday after more than 100 students were ejected from temporary emergency accommodation at the university’s student centre.
They were forced to haul their belongings outside the main entrance gates, where they remained in the scorching heat for the rest of the day.
Around 300 students, who had been staying at the student centre for about two weeks, were reportedly ejected from it by a large group of campus security staff during the early hours of yesterday morning.
Video footage shows a student being aggressively bundled into a campus security vehicle, but yesterday CPUT insisted that those who had been removed from the student centre were not registered students, instead referring to them as “squatters”.
Noxolo Xulu, 24, from KwaZulu-Natal, said she arrived on Friday and was one of the students who had been sleeping at the centre.
She said she was accepted for study and registered for a Bachelor of Paralegal Studies, but was still struggling to secure residence, with the status of her application still pending.
“I don’t feel safe. My clothes are outside and I don’t feel safe at all. We don’t have places to bathe, we don’t have food. We are really struggling. I wish I could go back home,” she said.
“They woke us up at 5am and gave us five minutes to leave with our bags. We haven’t bathed, we haven’t eaten since this morning.”
Lungile Kunene, 22, from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal, said that she had been staying at the centre for more than two weeks. She was accepted and registered to study electrical engineering.
“Nothing has changed so far. The only thing they do is say that they’re going to place us, but nothing has changed,” she said. “Some of our stuff is still left inside … I haven’t eaten anything so far. I haven’t taken a bath. I’m starving as we speak. I can’t even stay here because I don’t feel safe. I feel like going home. At the end of the day, I can’t go home because I have to study here.”
Likhona Batala from Graaff-Reinet arrived yesterday morning. He said he tried to apply for residence but the website was not working.
“I haven’t received any accommodation yet. That’s why I came here to find out, but now it’s closed due to the strikes.”
Many who arrived joined the evicted group. Some parents were also present, waiting alongside their children.
A number of student formations gathered at the administration building yesterday afternoon to present a memorandum of demands to management, with 24 hours given to respond. These demands were:
• All registered students be granted access to campus.
• Immediate temporary placement while waiting for permanent placement.
• Immediate suspension of academic activities until all demands are met.
• All accepted students be allowed to register.
• Increase shuttle capacity.
• CPUT be exempted from the NSFAS pilot project and revert to the Fundi system.
• The conclusion of residence appeals.
• The immediate establishment of a financial appeals committee.
SRC president Sinelizwi Notshikila said students were supposed to be assisted by the residence department and the department of student affairs. “It’s taking time because we’ve engaged with management and haven’t received the responses we wanted in terms of when students can be placed.”
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said that those who were evicted were not registered students.
“Please note that these squatters are not bona fide students. They may have applied at CPUT but we have placed hundreds of actual students since the weekend into temp accommodation.
“Those who were asked to move are not eligible for residence since they either aren’t passing or they have no acceptance to study.”
She said management approved the move of 100 students, who had been vetted and found to be legitimate students with acceptance to study, to sourced accommodation.
Buses arrived to fetch the students and the processing of the remaining group continued by CPUT housing staff and campus security late last night.
Shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za