SMU students halt accommodation strike
"Today there are police at the campus, people are not ready to be shot at. Yesterday there were people who were injured. So for the sake of other people's lives, we will look at a different approach."
Accomodation is land – students have build a community and are being moved from the residences without any valid reasons #SMUShutdown https://t.co/9eqB5zBjXM
— DuduMyeni Today , DuduMyeni Tomorrow 🫶🏾 (@SS_Mogashoa) November 8, 2021
Students at the Sefako Makgatho Health Science University halted their strike on Tuesday morning following a week of disruption at the university.
Students shut down the university last week Monday, demanding management renew the contracts of three student accommodations, Tshwane Varsity Lodge (TVL), The Heights and Drie Lillies.
Students said they were unhappy with management’s decisions to make them vacate these residences as they were not consulted about vacating them.
The students also demanded that management renew the contracts for these three residences for three years as there would be huge financial implications for students if they were moved.
Chairperson of TVL residence Lehlohonolo Ramoipone said they decided to stop the protest after students were allegedly shot during Monday’s protest.
“Today there are police at the campus, people are not ready to be shot at. Yesterday there were people who were injured. So for the sake of other people’s lives, we will look at a different approach.”
He said students went to check the accommodations that the university management has offered but they were not happy with them.
“We found that these residences do not comply with the norms and standards of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
“We are going to write a dispute to the management about our dissatisfaction with the new residence. We are not going to allow this to happen. Currently, the residences we are occupying are better than the ones which they telling us to go to. We are going to have a meeting with the student body and map the way forward.”
Last week SMU vice-chancellor Professor Peter Mbati said the three student accommodation facilities did not fully comply with the minimum norms and standards for student accommodation as set out in the DHET policy.
Mbati said the main demand raised was that students should continue to reside at these facilities whose contract with the university would expire at the end of the year.
ALSO READ: No bananas with poison in SA – Agriculture department
“Allowing students to stay in these facilities beyond the expiry date of the existing agreement is illegal, and could, in all probability, pose serious legal risks to the university.
“Management has a responsibility to ensure it complies fully with its own policies and with all the applicable legislation and regulatory frameworks as set out by DHET.
“It would be irresponsible of management, simply because students tell it to do so. If it were to do so, it would deliberately have failed to pass the basic public accountability test, particularly if any life-threatening or life-taking incident to a student were to occur at any of these facilities.”
Mbati said students who chose to remain at TVL, The Heights and Drie Lillies beyond the expiry of the existing contract, should do so on their own accord, by entering and signing a lease agreement individually with any of the providers, without the involvement of the university.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
