THE South African Union of Students (SAUS) has condemned the gruesome killing of two students from the University of the Free Sate, Qwaqwa campus.

According to the police, a group of students from the Qwaqwa Campus residing off campus were involved in a “senseless attack” in Phuthaditjhaba, which resulted in the death of one student, and two others in a critical condition in hospital.

SAUS national spokesperson Asive Dlanjwa said the death of these students further highlights the devastating state of student accommodation in the South African Higher Education sector, particularly off-campus or private student accommodation.

“In fact, the lack of adequate housing in the sector, by implication, makes the department of higher education and universities co-conspirators in the senseless killing of students of this nature,” said Dlanjwa.   

“In the early hours of today, 22 September 2021, four (4) students were attacked and shot at their student residence in Botjhabela Village, Qwaqwa. Whilst two of the students suffered critical injuries and have since been taken to hospital where they’re reported to be in a perilous state, fighting for their lives, regrettably two (2) of the students were fatally killed on the spot.”

Dlanjwa added: “We have spoken to the investigating officer, Captain Boy Makubu whohas made us to believe that the robbers came in demanding money, laptops and phones, to which the students did not demonstrate any resistance when they were mercilessly gunned down by three unknown suspects.”

“We wish to offer our most sincere and heartfelt condolences, prayers and thoughts to the family, friends and fellow students of the deceased students. We further would like to wish the two students who are currently in hospital, fighting for their lives, a speedy recovery.”

Dlanjwa said the union will be visiting the family, fellow students and the community of Botjhabela village this weekend.

“We would also like to make a call to the University of the Free State and Higher Health to make available psychological support to the students who have been left traumatised and distraught by these upsetting events,” said Dlanjwa.

Dlanjwa said on average, universities have only been able to accommodate less than 20% of students in safe and acceptable student accommodation, ‘leaving around 80% at to non-affordable and atrocious living conditions and exposing them to interminable criminal elements’.

The recent killing of Nosicelo at the University of Fort Hare could also be directly attributed to the abhorrent state of student accommodation within the broader Higher Education Sector, SAUS added.

“The targeting of student accommodation by criminals also speaks to the inactive and feeble efforts of the South African Police Services and University Protection Services to bolster security and police visibility in and around student accommodation,” said Dlanjwa.

“We must however, call on the SAPS, to rest at nothing in bringing those who have waged an attack on the student community, to swift justice.”

• * Inside Politics  

THE DA in Limpopo welcomes the judgment passed down on the 17^th of September in the case of Komape v Minister of Basic Education that compels the Limpopo Department of Education (LDOE) and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to develop a comprehensive plan to urgently eradicate pit toilets at schools in Limpopo.

This comes after LDOE and DBE had failed to comply with a 2018 court order that directed them among other things to supply each school in Limpopo with safe and dignified toilets, to conduct a comprehensive audit of sanitation and provide a comprehensive plan for the installation of new toilets.

DA’s acting Limpopo spokesperson on education, Risham Maharaj said the party believes that a much more aggressive approach must be taken if the province is serious about eradicating pit latrines.

“The slow rate shown by the department in addressing this crisis means that some children in Limpopo will finish their schooling years without ever having experienced decent and appropriate sanitation facilities,” said Maharaj.

Maharaj said that in her 2019 budget speech, Education MEC Polly Boshielo made an empty promise to eradicate pit toilets. Boshielo stated: “In this financial year, the Department will eradicate pit latrines in all the 507 schools and replace them with proper sanitation facilities… There will be no talk of pit latrines in the next financial year.”

“This was in 2019! Since then, very little has been done in ensuring proper sanitation facilities in schools and pit toilets remain a reality for many of our learners. Limpopo has historical challenges of school infrastructure and infrastructure maintenance backlogs that would cost in excess of R20 billion to eradicate,” said Maharaj.

“MEC Polly Boshielo has a responsibility to prioritise and ensure all schools in Limpopo have a sufficient number of proper sanitation facilities in line with the Norms and Standards regulations. There should be no pit toilets allowed at schools.”

Maharaj added: “We have constantly raised the issue of inappropriate sanitation and the clearing of the infrastructure backlog over the years. It is time for the needs of learners and their dignity to be prioritised by the department.”

• * Inside Education

A GRADE 6 Heinz Park Primary School teacher in Philippi, Cape Town was shot and killed inside his vehicle on Tuesday morning.

The teacher had just parked inside the school premises at about 7.45am and was still sitting in his vehicle when he was shot dead allegedly by two suspects who fled the scene.

Police spokesperson Andrè Traut said circumstances leading to the teacher’s death were being investigated.

“The circumstances surrounding the death of a 52-year-old man are being investigated after he was shot and killed in the parking area of Heinz Park Primary School at around 7:45.”

No arrests have been made yet.

She said counselling support has been arranged for pupils and teachers at the school.

MEC Debbie Schäfer said she was shocked to hear of the shooting.

“I offer my deepest condolences to his loved ones, colleagues and school. To lose a long-serving teacher in this way is a senseless tragedy. We do not have more details at this stage, but it is vital that SAPS do everything in their power to find and arrest the perpetrator/s as soon as possible.

“It is unacceptable that our teachers, who are providing one of the most vital services for our country, cannot be safe at work,” said Schäfer.

Anyone with information about the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop at 0860010111 or SMS Crime Line at 32211.

COSATU in KwaZulu-Natal has slammed the decision by the provincial department of education to retrench over 4 000 educators as a result of the budget cuts amounting to R6.3 billion.

The trade union federation said the move would have catastrophic socioeconomic consequences for the province, in particular the poor and impoverished. 

COSATU said on Monday that it had long warned government against the austerity measures that undermine public spending and service delivery.

“It is the continuation of the neoliberal agenda which was advanced by the former Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni,” said the federation.

“Our union, SADTU has last month staged a picket and submitted memorandum of demands, which cautioned government against its failure to fill vacant positions and to honour its commitment as far as the payment of salaries of educators is concerned. The pronouncement by the KZN MEC of Education is a sign of a government that is not willing to see to the needs of its workers.”

SADTU’s NEC also raised its concerns about the matter during the weekend.

The teachers union slammed austerity measures that ‘are being brought through the back door without a popular mandate’.

“The union has seen this in the education sector with, for instance, in KwaZulu Natal Department of Education announcing that its budget would be cut by no less that R6,4 billion over the next financial year,” said SADTU.

“This could adversely affect the employment of no less than 6 114 education workers and education support personnel. The learners cannot be denied the right to education because of austerity measures.”

SADTU added: “Austerity measures are cause of instability and the education system cannot be subjected to any form of instability because our learners have already suffered huge time losses and trauma due to the pandemic.”

“To grow an inclusive and sustainable economy that will create decent jobs for all, means we cannot allow any austerity measures in education because SDG8 which is about decent jobs requires global competencies and this is only achievable if we invest in the SDG4 which deals with education.” 

The recent quarterly labour report indicates that a significant number of jobs have been lost and this trend has been re-enforced by the COVID pandemic, said SADTU.

• *Inside Education*