Concerned residents shutdown the streets of Giyani over TUT campus
Giyani was a no-go zone area on Monday morning as commuters and learners struggled to find their way to work and school.
This is after Giyani Concerned Residents (GCR) embarked on a ‘Giyani Shutdown’ demonstration. They blockaded roads and burned tyres leading to town from 03:00. Vusi Chauke, chairperson of GCR, told the Herald that they erected blockades on the roads because of the failure of the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation to establish a Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) campus in Giyani as promised in 2022.
On September 16, 2022, Minister Blade Nzimande engaged stakeholders on a plan to revive the former Giyani College of Education to become a TUT campus. “We plan to have the campus operating in 2024. By February when the academic year begins, the Giyani campus must be accepting students. “We have made it our obligation to bring education to rural areas, and by doing so we must also bring universities to rural areas,” Nzimande explained in 2022 during a stakeholders meeting.
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Chauke said they are not pleased with the lack of progress and communication from the minister and the department. “The demonstrations are a way of sending a message to Minister Blade that they need to finish what they started. The people of Giyani and the Mopani District deserve quality education.” He said they have tried to engage with the Department of Basic Education, who said it was not their jurisdiction. “No one is saying anything, the campus should have been operational now,” Chauke added.
The Greater Giyani Municipality (GGM) spokesman, Steven Mabunda, told the Herald that they also have not had a recent update on the progress. “The minister visited Giyani twice and indicated that they were happy with the state of the college, but there was still some work to do.” Mabunda said as much as the community needs the campus, the blockade is hurting the local economy. “We don’t believe in solving a problem with violence, the people that are suffering are the residents of Giyani and businesses.
“The mayor, police, and GCR had a quick meeting, where we pleaded with the group to stop the protest and fortunately, they agreed. “We will also engage with the Department of Higher Education on the progress of the campus,” concluded Mabunda.
