UCT clears up meal voucher storm

UNIVERSITY of Cape Town (UCT) students in residences have become very well acquainted with “emergency food vouchers” since last year, when strikes and protests have kept the catering staff stay away from the kitchens.

When that happens, the university issues two R55 vouchers a day to res students, with the stipulation that they be redeemed within 48-hours at a few specific Pick n Pay branches and a few fast-food outlets, and no change will be issued.

The Empangeni-based father of a second-year biochemistry student at UCT queried the conditions with In Your Corner.

“Because thousands of students are affected, my daughter cannot always redeem the full value of the vouchers,” he said.

“They can’t cook in their dorms so they opt for either fresh produce or prepared meals, so these are sold out, first leaving limited options for the rest, meaning a portion of her meal funds goes to waste.

“Surely these vouchers would be valid for a longer time, and the retailers should give change?

“What exactly are the rules that govern these vouchers?”

Well, clearly these emergency vouchers aren’t the pre-paid vouchers which are governed by the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which gives consumers the right to redeem them, in full, for up to a period of three years.

UCT gets to make the rules regarding redemption, because the voucher is very specific – a meal replacement.

The university’s communication department told In Your Corner that as part of an “interim arrangement” the 17 chosen vendors in the area claim from the university the exact amount each student spends with their voucher each time, which is why no change is issued.

“The sole intention of the voucher is to ensure that students obtain meals for the day or days that the catering service does not function,” the university said.

“Students have 48-hours to redeem the voucher because it is intended to provide a student with a meal on the day the catering service is not in operation.

“The same applies to meals in residence – if the student misses a meal they do not get a refund or an extra meal the next day.”

And the no-change rule was intended to stop students using their food vouchers to buy non-food items.

Students were issued the emergency food vouchers last Wednesday when UCT closed because of the massive storm that hit the city.

Incidentally, on top of its budgeted-for catering spend, UCT spent an extra R7.4-million in the last financial year on emergency vouchers for res students.

*Vouchers which are issued as part of a company’s loyalty programme are also not subject to the CPA’s three-year validity stipulation.