A large group of disgruntled students visited the Middelburg Observer because they feel that negotiations with college management, and the governing body, have reached a stalemate.

Students are skeptical about the relationship between Kingsbury owner Danny Padiachy, and the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA), saying that they are not getting what they signed up for. Failed efforts to lodge complaints at Kingsbury and the Services SETA has led them to believe that the two parties are covering for each other.

Mr Padiachy, says that the trouble started when students had to hand in their portfolios of evidence for assessment, to determine leave credits for the Easter weekend. It was found that the majority were incomplete. He says that students insisted on “pass one pass all” and are trying to sidestep the consequences of incomplete assignments. He says there are a few troublemakers who are intimidating others to participate by boycotting him and the college.

On Tuesday, a large number of unhappy students marched from Van Blerk Square, to one of the Kingsbury College campuses situated in the Santam building. They were hoping to speak to Mr Padiachy himself, but he was a no show.

Furious students yelled “We want Danny!” when Kingsbury representatives arrived at the park.

Students say that they are not getting the practical experience they were promised, that mentors supposed to help them are incompetent, and they say they are not receiving enough study material. They are also suspicious about the contract they signed with the college and the business supposed to give them practical experience, The Business Zone, a sister company to Kingsbury.

Mr Padiachy disagrees. “I clearly indicated to SETA that it was Kingsbury International College who applied for the learnerships, with the intent of growing our and our sister companies’ scope.”

He says that students signed a register during an information session and were allowed to take their contracts home before they signed it.

Students are adamant that they do not want to work at The Business Zone. Mr Padiachy has since agreed to follow up on alternative employment for the students.

How exactly The Business Zone functions, is confusing, even after a three hour meeting with Mr Padiachy and three of his staff members. The company is a closed corporation bought off the shelf.

It is described as a marketing company with several ventures, engineering, a feeding scheme, property development and vehicles and parts. Subsidiaries, like the feeding scheme and vehicle ventures, are however not fully operational yet.

During a face to face meeting, he said that students are rude and interruptive and that they are preventing facilitators from teaching those who want to learn, and intimidating students who want to come to class.

Mr Padiachy also responded via email, that additional mentors will be appointed, if qualified mentors can be found, and that students will be divided into even smaller groups. He says that ample study material, including a 502 page manual, have always been available to students.

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Mr Padiachy says that he brought the learnership programme to Middelburg out of the kindness of his heart. And that he wanted to give local youths, who have been sitting at home for years, the chance to better themselves. He did concede however that his kindness is being reimbursed with funds from the Services SETA.

Services SETA failed to respond to questions via email about what the value of the tender rewarded to Kingsbury is and what the initial agreement with students entails.

• The Services SETA are responsible for the disbursing of training levies payable by all employers and collected by the South African Revenue Service, by funding learnership programmes via tenders to applicants like Kingsbury International College.