Local criminals have taken advantage of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) students who were evicted from their students’ housing.
This comes after some of them were robbed outside the college on Wednesday night.
Sunday World was informed by the students that they have been sleeping on the side of the road for a week. Management has not done anything about their plight, they said.
Majority from outside the province
The majority of the stranded students are from outside the Western Cape and come from low-income families. This according to one student who asked not to be named.
“I am from the Eastern Cape province and many of us here are from other provinces. So going back home is not an option,” said the student.
She further said she received a message that she would be getting accommodation but she was later kicked out.
Cannot afford private accommodation
“I appealed because I’d failed, and my accommodation was approved. But last week, we were kicked out of our residence because the school said they’ve reached full capacity. This is strange to us because when the minister of higher education came here earlier in the year, he said we must be given accommodation,” she added.
The student said they do not feel safe and they cannot afford private accommodation.
“We’ve already lost so much, including our dignity, and now we are losing our belongings. If we had an option we wouldn’t be here. We are here because we are desperate for education.”
SRC efforts to help dismissed
Yanga Mlata, the student’s international relations officer, said they were helpless. He said they made every effort to secure accommodations for the students. However, management wants them to go, he said.
“Everyday we have to find ways to get them forcefully to a residence. As the [SRC] we sometimes take them to the media centre for them to sleep. And the CPF comes and chases them out. We’ve tried to speak to the management about this.”
The institution issued a statement, citing the university campus housing is full.
“Dear staff and students, the institution has officially communicated that university campus housing is now full. This has been communicated in-person to applicants, via a SMS and on notices placed around the campus. All applicants who are still looking for accommodation are urged to source and accept offers from private accommodation vendors.”
