CLOSE to 100 students at Lovedale Further Education and Training (FET) college were yesterday evicted from a King William’s Town B&B after months of unpaid rent.
They told the Saturday Dispatch they were booted out in the early hours.
The owner of Thandolwethu B&B, who refused to be identified as Gxowa, had not responded to questions at the time when Dispatch went to press. who could only be reached for comment late yesterday afternoon.
She asked that questions be SMSed to her.
When the Dispatch arrived at the college yesterday morning, confused and desperate students were milling around wondering what to do and where to go.
To make things even worse, the gates to the college premises were locked and a security guard said classes had been suspended.
Many had thrown their blankets over the wire fence into the college premises. They later forced their way onto the campus and police were called in to maintain order. By late yesterday a contingent of police were still seen around the facility.
A number of Many students are from faraway places like Dutywa, Matatiele, Mthatha and Cradock.
“We don’t know anyone from this area and right now we are basically homeless,” said 19-year- old Nomvuyiso Duma from Butterworth.
Late yesterday afternoon the stu dents were told they would be ac commodated in college residences.
Matatiele-born student Saziso Dokoza said: “We don’t understand – when this college advertised to attract us to study here, they said this was free education and everything would be paid for.”
The students said they were told by college management that there was an arrangement to accommodate them at the B&B while Lovedale hostels were being renovated.
Hundreds of students who were not involved in the B&B dispute also gathered outside the college.
One of them, of the students who was not affected, Thandile Hobong wana said: “We were not informed about the . Some students came to write tests but were locked out.”
Attempts to get comment from college administrator Marietta van Rooyen were unsuccessful.
Last week Van Rooyen denied that the college had an agreement with B&B owners to accommodate students.
Van Rooyen said at the time that the Department of Higher Educa tion and Training (DHET) headed by Minister Blade Nzimande had only allocated minimum funding for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), and to pay for needy students.
Van Rooyen said the funds could only cover “basic services”, but she did not say what the services were.
But DHET spokeswoman Vuyelwa Qing told a different story.
She said the college had initiated a process to secure short-term accommodation from Monday and an appropriate arrangement was to be made later.
“As the process of securing the payments of bursaries from NSFAS has not been completed by the college, the college has approached these service providers to make an interim arrangement pending the payout of allowances,” said Qinga. “They are in the process of finalising the required documentation with the students whose applications were successful.”
She said 118 Lovedale students were staying at B&Bs.
King William’s Town police spokeswoman Lieutenant Siphokazi Mawisa said police would remain on the scene until the situation improved. Mawisa said no arrests had been made. —/
Students evicted
They told the Saturday Dispatch they were booted out in the early hours.
The owner of Thandolwethu B&B, who refused to be identified as Gxowa, had not responded to questions at the time when Dispatch went to press. who could only be reached for comment late yesterday afternoon.
She asked that questions be SMSed to her.
When the Dispatch arrived at the college yesterday morning, confused and desperate students were milling around wondering what to do and where to go.
To make things even worse, the gates to the college premises were locked and a security guard said classes had been suspended.
Many had thrown their blankets over the wire fence into the college premises. They later forced their way onto the campus and police were called in to maintain order. By late yesterday a contingent of police were still seen around the facility.
A number of Many students are from faraway places like Dutywa, Matatiele, Mthatha and Cradock.
“We don’t know anyone from this area and right now we are basically homeless,” said 19-year- old Nomvuyiso Duma from Butterworth.
Late yesterday afternoon the stu dents were told they would be ac commodated in college residences.
Matatiele-born student Saziso Dokoza said: “We don’t understand – when this college advertised to attract us to study here, they said this was free education and everything would be paid for.”
The students said they were told by college management that there was an arrangement to accommodate them at the B&B while Lovedale hostels were being renovated.
Hundreds of students who were not involved in the B&B dispute also gathered outside the college.
One of them, of the students who was not affected, Thandile Hobong wana said: “We were not informed about the . Some students came to write tests but were locked out.”
Attempts to get comment from college administrator Marietta van Rooyen were unsuccessful.
Last week Van Rooyen denied that the college had an agreement with B&B owners to accommodate students.
Van Rooyen said at the time that the Department of Higher Educa tion and Training (DHET) headed by Minister Blade Nzimande had only allocated minimum funding for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), and to pay for needy students.
Van Rooyen said the funds could only cover “basic services”, but she did not say what the services were.
But DHET spokeswoman Vuyelwa Qing told a different story.
She said the college had initiated a process to secure short-term accommodation from Monday and an appropriate arrangement was to be made later.
“As the process of securing the payments of bursaries from NSFAS has not been completed by the college, the college has approached these service providers to make an interim arrangement pending the payout of allowances,” said Qinga. “They are in the process of finalising the required documentation with the students whose applications were successful.”
She said 118 Lovedale students were staying at B&Bs.
King William’s Town police spokeswoman Lieutenant Siphokazi Mawisa said police would remain on the scene until the situation improved. Mawisa said no arrests had been made. —/
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