Students protest over accommodation crisis, funding
“All I want is accommodation‚ nothing much, but a roof over my head.”
These words were uttered by a Wits University final-year media studies and politics student participating in a protest on the Johannesburg campus.
Maggie Ramoloko from Limpopo said on Tuesday she had found out that she would no longer receive assistance from the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for the year in which she was meant to complete her degree.
“I don’t have funding‚ they dropped me. I don’t know what will happen because I can’t travel to and from my Pretoria [extended family] home every day,” she said.
“By the time classes end‚ I will be tired‚ drained and might not even afford the taxi/bus fare.”
Ramoloko accused the university of not caring about the wellbeing of its students.
“If management cared‚ they would be here. All we are asking for is accommodation.”
Wits students embarked on a second day of protest action on Tuesday‚ demanding that classes be halted until registration‚ accommodation and hunger grievances were attended to.
Mmabatho Dooka‚ a firstyear LLB student from Hammanskraal‚ also requires assistance after experiencing difficulty in accessing student aid.
“For a rural girl like me‚ coming here was a big deal – a privilege that I worked hard for.”
Dooka said her dream of becoming a lawyer seemed gloomy as she had been rejected by the NSFAS.
“My mother is a single parent‚ a Sassa beneficiary. I do not understand why I was rejected‚ which is why I feel strongly about this protest.”
Dooka said she was lucky because a neighbour from back home was temporarily providing accommodation for her.
“What would happen to me if I didn’t know that man?
“Imagine what would happen to students from the Eastern Cape who know no one? Women are vulnerable.”
Dean of student affairs Jerome September spoke to students and asked for more time as he was “working hard” on resolving their grievances.