Fort Hare students stage vigil

THOUSANDS of University of Fort Hare students braved Wednesday’s rainy weather when they held a night vigil outside the East London campus as part of their fight for accommodation.

The students marched from Quigney to the campus where they spent more than six hours before they dispersed.

They are demanding that the university provide all the students with accommodation.

Among those attending the night vigil was final-year student Sandisiwe Tyeni, who said she was still without accommodation.

“They want us to start attending classes while they are fully aware that we do not have accommodation. We are not going to stop with the demonstrations until we get accommodation,” she said.

Zukiswa Ntswane said: “We were temporarily staying at Union Arcade residence, but now the wardens are chasing us out, saying they have been given a mandate by the management to do so.

“Even [there] we were staying under bad conditions. I was sharing a double room with five others.”

SRC president Njongo Baliso said: “There are more than 1 600 students who still have no accommodation. The most important thing is for students to go to class, but they need to be accommodated.”

University spokesman Khotso Moabi said management was still engaging with student leadership to resolve the impasse.