University of Pretoria could forfeit future grants if medical library is delayed

The University of Pretoria could forfeit funding if the construction of its latest project at its medical campus in the Pretoria CBD is delayed.

University spokesperson Rikus Delport said the project, the repurposing of a Muslim prayer room/ Jamaat Khana at HW Snyman Building for a library, commenced in February.

He said the clinical training grant given for this purpose by the government was meant to benefit all students but “should this project not be completed in time, the university will forfeit the funding”.

He did not say what would occasion the delay but Rekord understands that the university feared the dispute with the former users of the room could result in the delay with “a serious negative impact on future grants to the university”.

Delport said student members of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), who used the room for prayers, voiced their dissatisfaction at being “displaced” via social media.

However, he claimed that the university had engaged with the students regarding its plans on numerous occasions.

“They were afforded ample opportunity to vacate the prayer room, unfortunately they failed to adhere to the various requests,” he said.

He said the university had also investigated the possibility of allocating alternative space to the students but none met the specifications of the association at the campus.

Delport said the students could utilise a dedicated prayer room at the Hatfield Campus subject to the availability of transport to shuttle them between the Prinshof and Hatfield campuses.

Delport urged MSA to also inquire if the Steve Biko Academic hospital had a prayer room available.

He said the institution was committed to open and constructive engagement for amicable solutions to the matter.

MSA chairperson Mudassir Ali Sayed decried the “forced removal”.

“The removal of Muslim students from a venue that they use as a prayer facility, which had been used from 2013 was forced, with the removal of prayer items from the premises, without any committed effort to provide a viable alternative,” he said.

“Academics from various fields have also been shocked at the manner in which the university has acted seeing that it has been advocating for change and transformation.”

Sayed said to apply for a venue to pray three to four times a day or weekly was not feasible for his members.

He said transportation to Hatfield was also not guaranteed to keep to their schedule.

He said the university had started construction without considering its own policy of inclusiveness for all cultural and religious practices.

“The university may have overlooked an important factor in transformation and consultation [in this case],” he said.

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