By Thapelo Molefe
Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has taken decisive action following a distressing visit to the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s (CPUT) District Six campus, where she found students living in dire conditions due to delays in student accommodation allocations.
The minister arrived at CPUT on Tuesday and immediately spoke to students only. She wanted a clear picture of what was happening on the ground.
Students explained their struggles in detail, highlighting the dire circumstances they faced.
Accompanying the minister was a task team from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), dispatched to address pressing concerns related to student funding and accommodation challenges.
Recognising the urgency of the situation, the NSFAS team has been left at CPUT to work closely with university management and ensure that all outstanding issues are swiftly resolved.
During her walkabout, Nkabane engaged with university management, staff and students, assessing the challenges that have left many students without proper housing.
Some have been forced to sleep in the student centre on bare floors, without access to showers or adequate meals.
“I was very disturbed to see the conditions in which our students are living. They are sleeping on the floor, they don’t have showers to prepare for the next day and they are struggling to access proper meals,” Nkabane said.
“This is unacceptable, and immediate action is required.”
Despite previous efforts by the department and Deputy Minister Mimmy Gondwe to resolve the crisis, progress has been slow.
Nkabane has now ordered an immediate temporary accommodation plan to ensure all affected students have a proper place to stay while the university finalises its allocations.
“I have given CPUT a deadline to ensure that all students are housed appropriately. As a temporary measure, we are moving them into a more conducive living environment so they can focus on their studies,” she stated.
CPUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Nhlapo acknowledged the ongoing difficulties, but offered assurances that the university was working towards resolving the issue.
“We have made significant progress and have reduced the number of students without accommodation, but we still have around 80 students who need to be placed,” he said.
Beyond the immediate intervention, the minister stressed the need for sustainable solutions to address the recurring student housing crisis.
She has established a task team, comprising representatives from the Department of Higher Education and Training, NSFAS, and student organisations, to devise a long-term strategy for improving on-campus student accommodation.
“We cannot continue with short-term fixes. We need a sustainable investment in student housing to ensure that future generations do not face the same struggles,” she emphasised.
Following her visit to CPUT, Nkabane proceeded to Northlink TVET College, where she was shown how all students work together on projects. She interacted with some students.
The minister encouraged people to consider Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions as viable pathways to employment.
“TVET colleges produce graduates with the skills and competencies needed for our economy. We need to invest in artisan development programmes and ensure that TVET graduates contribute to South Africa’s inclusive economic growth,” she said.
With registration processes underway across institutions, Nkabane reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring that no student was excluded due to accommodation or financial constraints.
“… our doors are open for any Vice-Chancellor or council of the university as well as student bodies to share some of the frustrations with us so that we can come on board on time because we don’t want to leave anyone behind. We don’t want to see any student excluded in the academic year because we want to see them, in the current as well as the future.,” she said.
As the deadline for student accommodation allocations looms, all eyes are now on CPUT to fulfil its commitment to resolving the crisis. The department’s intervention offers a temporary reprieve, but the need for a long-term solution remains urgent.
INSIDE EDUCATION
