Rioters bar registration at college in Alexandra
ANGRY students and workers at the Central Johannesburg College in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, yesterday prevented registration from taking place.
Protesters barricaded streets outside the campus with burning tyres. They were accusing management of maladministration and moving some courses to the Ellis Park campus, among others.
Student Representative Council chairman Makana Masithi accused management of ignoring the plight of Alexandra residents. “They gave us no reasons why they are moving N4 to N6 courses to our Ellis Park campus. How do they expect students to travel to Ellis Park? Students were supposed to have registered last week but they can’t because many have not received their last year’s results because of poor management.
“There are also no computers to register students … We demand that our management be dissolved in order to have this institution run smoothly,” he said.
Congress of SA Students regional deputy chairwoman in Johannesburg, Thembeni Manana, blamed lack of resources to poor management.
Manana said the situation at the campus was deteriorating daily and that if it was allowed to continue, the campus will be ultimately shut.
National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) chairman on the campus, Vongani Chauke, said maladministration was rampant and that 72 employees have been dismissed.
“Nothing was discussed with us when those members were dismissed. The school has a deficit of R80-million. Workers, including lecturers, have been underpaid by our management and some lecturers have been employed on a contract basis for some years now.
“There is an employee who has been working for over 15 years and is still earning the same salary. We can’t allow registration to begin until our demands are met,” said Chauke yesterday.
Employees claimed that there was no toilet paper, the yard is not maintained, windows are broken and that infrastructure is deteriorating.
Lecturer Angie Naledi said she has been employed on contract since March 2013 and that in 2014 she was forced to return early from her maternity leave after being threatened with dismissal.
“We are victimised and threatened if we raise issues. There is poor leadership, and the sad part is that there are lecturers who are employed on month-to-month contracts.
“Some students don’t even know what a spanner is because of lack of resources. Equipment is disappearing and some is being sold,” she said.
Efforts to get comment from the college yesterday proved fruitless.
Department of Higher Education and Training spokesman Madikwe Mabotha said they can’t comment on behalf of the college.