Students at the University of the Free State are demanding the immediate payment of meal allowance for students that are NSFAS loan holders. Students have also urged the university management to intervene to prevent the eviction of students by landlords.
They have threatened to shut down the campus if their demands are not met.
UFS students are up in arms over NSFA allocations. They say they will render the institution ungovernable if their demands are not met. They want their NSFAS food allowances to be paid in by end of business day on Monday.
Students also want the University’s Department of Housing and Residence to send a communique to landlords to avert evictions.
Some affected students had this to say.
“The university knows that we are struggling already. We need money to buy food. So, now that our academic year has been extended what do they expect from us? What do they expect us to carry on; it’s not ok. So we will fight until we get our money.”
“I’ve been asking money from home, from friends, just to survive but it’s been difficult.”
#UFSmustFall current situation at the University of the Free state pic.twitter.com/H5Gi5qIHe0
— Tsulofelo (@tsulofelo) December 7, 2020
Two students including the SRC president were arrested and later released on warning. The student representatives say they won’t be deterred.
University of the Free State SRC President, Katleho Lechoo, says the struggle will continue until their demands are met.
“It cannot be right that students who already have the stress of exams now still have to wait for NSFAS allowances. How do you study when you are hungry? We are here to fight for our fellow students and management has to give students their allowances by end of the business day.”
Management is yet to respond to the memorandum of demands.
University of the Free State students hand over demands for NSFAS allowances:
