Lack of student digs dominates social media in wake of UWC protests

UWC students protested over accommodation issues at the university on Thursday, causing class disruptions and backing up traffic.
UWC students protested over accommodation issues at the university on Thursday, causing class disruptions and backing up traffic.
Image: Wikimedia Commons

The ongoing protests at the University of Western Cape saw scores flood social media to respond to issues concerning funding and insufficient accommodation.

Student Zeke Werely told SowetanLIVE that black students were mostly affected by lack of funding and accommodation. 

“These are common issues that arise every year. Some of our students were forced to pay a R4,000 registration fee because the institutions refused to do a financial bulk clearance as per orders of the minister of higher education. There is no accommodation for students who find themselves in dire situations.”

The protests began in October last year, with private accommodation provider South Point at the centre of the students' concerns.

South Point reportedly entered into negotiations with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to house some of its students, a move which UWC students feared would compromise their accommodation requirements.

At the time, UWC told TimesLIVE it was in talks with South Point to ensure that none of its students would be without accommodation in 2020.

This is what tweeps had to say:


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