The students of King Sabatha Dalindyebo (KSD) TVET College have embarked on a protest at Umsobomvu Campus near Mthatha. They have accused some lecturers of drinking alcohol during working hours.
They are also complaining about the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) claiming it has not paid all their outstanding fees.
“We have complained about the way the institution treated us because there are lecturers who come to our institution drunk. They threaten the future of us as students. The principal failed to come to us, even if we come to her office, they would call the police to shoot us and chase us away. We also complained about NSFAS. There was an NSFAS agent who came to our institution and couldn’t make it to our campus to address the students about the issues of NSFAS,” says Siphelele Vava, who is one of the students.
The management of the institution says they have approached the court regarding the protest but are open to negotiations. The deputy principal of King Sabatha Dalindyebo TVET College, Thembelihle Ntlangano, says that students have now rejected some of the College’s lecturers.
“Students are rejecting some of the lecturers, insisting that we must appoint some of the temporal lecturers, which is not going to be possible. Now students are refusing to go to classes. We have applied for a protection order, which is insisting that those students who are protesting should be standing 200 metres away from the campus. However, those who are willing to attend classes, the lecturers are available. We have not closed the channels of communication. The delegation of NSFAS has been in the institution about two weeks ago. They have visited several campuses, but couldn’t make it to Umsobomvu campus. We have extended the invitation to NSFAS again. We are waiting for NSFAS to give us a date,” says Ntlangano.
