Students at Nkangala TVET College’s Witbank campus protested outside the premises demanding their national student financial aid scheme (NSFAS) allowance which also covers for their accommodation on 25 March.
They also cried to the TVET college’s principal, Siyabulela Ndlala they were tired of empty promises and they wanted the issue of sexual harassment among the students to be addressed.
SRC member, Simpiwe Dlamini claimed that it has been long since they lastly received the allowance. Dlamini said, “The reason for us as students to strike it is because since January 2021 we have not yet received our NSFAS allowance. Students have been kicked out from their rental places because they’re failing to pay for their accommodation.”
“The other issue is that some students have reported to the police about how they have been sexually abused by the owners of accommodation, demanding their money for rent. Since January students have not paid rent,” she added.
During the strike, four mal and nine female students were allegedly shot at and arrested by police. One of the alleged shot students is reportedly pregnant. The arrested students were reportedly kept in custody at Klipfontein police station.
“We went to the police station to ask for the police officers to release all the students arrested because they don’t have evidence showing or proving that the students have indeed vandalized Nkangala Tvet central offices,” Dlamini explained. “We are very hurt and have been betrayed by our campus manager, Mr Ndlala. We held a peaceful strike but yet he chosed to call the police to come and shoot us with rubber bullets,” she said.
“I was shot at with rubber bullets,” Onkgomoditse Redumeditse claimed. “It is very traumatic because as students we were in a peaceful strike then suddenly we ended up being shot at and arrested by police claiming that we have vandalized the central office’s property. We have not yet received the R6, 550 allowance for accommodation and R3, 750 for transport,” Redumeditse said.
