College students in Standerton demand free tertiary education

Students of Gert Sibande TVET College in Standerton were adamant on Wednesday, 14 April that their allowances should be paid.

A placard demanding the grant from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme was held aloft.

It is a South African government student financial aid scheme providing aid to poor, undergraduate students to help pay for the cost of their tertiary education after finishing high school.

The Department of Higher Education and Training is funding the above.

Students wearing yellow T-shirts of the South African Students Congress (Sasco) were spotted.

The Standerton Advertiser had a conversation with Mr Sbonelo Makhuba, Sasco’s branch coordinator, the morning to establish the reason for the unrest.

According to Mr Makhuba, the college has not submitted all the registrations for the above grant.

“Gert Sibande College only submitted 562,” he said.

According to him, more than 2 000 students were drafted on a list.

“We are going to put pressure on management to consider all the students for an allowance,” he added.

Mr Makhuba alleged that a memorandum was handed to management on 19 March and no response has been received.

Mr Jannie Kasselman posted a message at 9.09am that police were needed at the scene.

Burning tyres with smoke spiralling upwards set the tone at the intersection of Kruger and Paarl Streets, while Standerton Police were trying to engage the students in conversation about blocking a road in a residential area.

Police tried to have management address the protesters.

Earlier the morning, a call was received from the TVET college in Perdekop, saying a similar protest was in progress.

The youth president of the EFF, Mr Siyabonga Radebe, said the unrest was not only about the money involved, but about other challenges as well.

Mr Radebe mentioned factors such as accommodation, infrastructure of classes, security at the college and alleged that students are mistreated.

“Students are not receiving the necessary skills that were paid for,” he added.

“Students are protesting because they have been ignored for a long time.”

Drivers had to use all their motoring skills to get past the rubble in Kruger Street if they wanted to go eastwards.

Other groups opted for sitting patiently in the shade under trees.

Motorists in mid-town had to contend later on with groups beginning to walk towards town, past Laerskool Standerton and the Jerrie van Vuuren Building.

Things went south later the day.

According to W/O Nkosinathi Kanyile, communications officer of the Standerton Police, the students became progressively more unruly.

“They violated the constitutional right of the public in a residential area,” W/O Khanyile said.

Police intervened and dispersed them by using rubber bullets and stunt grenades.

According to police, no one was injured.

W/O Khanyile concluded by calling on anyone who sustained injuries, to come forward and visit the police station.

The newspaper sent an e-mail to the communications department of the college the same day, making enquiries about who to contact with regard to the unrest.