Students demand safer housing
CPUT students at the Nursing College in Athlone are fearful of criminal elements in the area who they say are targeting them and held a demonstration to bring attention to the issue.
Last year, a student was found murdered in his hostel room and since then students have been concerned about crime.
The protesters demonstrated with placards outside the Athlone campus along Klipfontein Road, demanding safer residences and to be granted transport to and from Bellville campus.
The CPUT student representative council chairperson at the Athlone campus, Thobile Tshefu, said their demands were not new, but the university management “choose to neglect or are taking time to act upon them”.
Their memorandum was signed by head of campus Theresa Bock, but Tshefu said they did not want to engage with people who did not have the power to make decisions.
“Both CPUT and college management must be present,” Tshefu said.
He added that the major crisis facing students was the issue of safety at their residences, highlighting the murder of Sinovuyo Yhusi, 21, who was killed inside his residence last year.
Tshefu said there had also been break-ins at residences. Three weeks ago, “there was a break in at P Block residence, where an unknown man entered our residence and took students’ belongings.
“Now the students feel that not much has been done around the issue of safety.”
The students also demanded a statement on Yhusi’s cause of death from Dr Tendani Mabuda, director of nursing at the college.
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said they had received a number of demands, which included complaints about inter-campus transport and residence problems.
Kansley said CPUT vice-chancellor Chris Nhlapo had announced last week that the university had decided to form a task team to deal with issues relating to student housing.