Students sleeping on the streets in Cape Town and Vaal

Hundreds of students on the waiting list for residences have been left stranded outside the District Six campus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, with many forced to sleep in open spaces amid a crisis of accommodation shortages.

Some students who are desperate for a place to stay have been camping outside university buildings, while others at the Belville campus have resorted to sleeping in the student centre.

A first-year journalism student from Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape, Ayabonga Louw, was among the affected. She said only a small number of students had been placed in residences this week and, starting on Wednesday, they had no choice but to sleep outside

Students sleeping outside

“I arrived on the last week of January. When I got here, I was told they were still accommodating returning students.

“Since then, we’ve been standing in long queues every day trying to secure accommodation, only for officials to take our student numbers and do nothing else,” she said.

Students have accused the institution of failing them, arguing that some residences remain empty while they are left without shelter.

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“The treatment from the university has been disappointing and unfair. We travelled from far and we have nowhere else to go. Instead of helping us, they treat us like criminals,” she said.

“Why did they call the police when no-one was disruptive or violent? Students were simply sitting down, some singing struggle songs, yet the police arrived in riot gear, trying to intimidate us.”

On Thursday, security personnel forcibly removed students from the premises while police were called to the institution.

Lack of response from university management

Another student criticised the lack of response from university management.

“Students are still sleeping outside. Yesterday, many were not placed in residences, and now they’re being kicked out without any alternatives. It’s been two weeks of sleeping on the floor with no food provided by the institution. The school is nowhere to be seen, they have ignored us throughout. Instead, they called the Red Ants to remove us, even in the middle of the night.”

Students at Vaal University of Technology (VUT) in Gauteng are facing similar challenges, with students camping outside.

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A second-year student pursuing engineering said: “We had to sleep outside because the school abandoned us.

“The security at the accommodation would just knock off at 7pm and tell us to return tomorrow. That is not possible as many of us come far and have nowhere else to go.”

Yolanda Vundla, an advanced diploma in fine arts student, said she had been left stranded due to financial constraints.

Left stranded due to financial constraints

“I completed my diploma with Nsfas funding but now that I’m doing an advanced diploma, which is equivalent to a degree I am no longer funded by Nsfas, they know we can’t afford the expense. Why are they failing to meet us halfway,” she said.

“VUT offers no assistance.”

Nsfas spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi told the Saturday Citizen: “I advise that you reach out to the management of both VUT and UFS as these are institutionally managed accommodation establishments.

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“They will provide you with the appropriate response.”