Aggrieved student leaders ambush minister
PROTESTING students at uMfolozi TVET College's eSikhaleni campus on Friday seized the opportunity to voice their grievances nationally as they sought out visiting Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala.
This follows the students' week-long protest over
NSFAS and non-availability of textbooks, among other issues, which saw the campus closed on Thursday, 4 April.
Zikalala was in the area on Friday for an unrelated engagement at the eSikhaleni campus.
Upon his arrival at the District Development Model programme, Zikalala engaged with the protesting students at the gates of the college.
He said the students raised pertinent issues about campus infrastructure, nutrition and NSFAS.
“We wish to thank your approach to come and engage us. As you have asked, I will hand over this memorandum to Dr Blade Nzimande urgently,” said Zikalala.
Zikalala further deployed one of the DDGs, who was part of his entourage, to obtain a full report on the pressing issues concerning infrastructure, including deliberating with residents and reporting back to him.
Handing over the memorandum to Zikalala, eSikhaleni campus Local
Student Representative Council (LSRC) chairperson Mondli Zungu thanked the minister and told him they have been fighting student-related issues since the beginning of the year without any resolutions from campus management.
“We are not here to disrupt, but we saw an opportunity as student leaders to access you to express student grievances with the hope that we get solutions to report back to the students,” said Zungu.
Financial constraints
Speaking to the ZO about the situation at eSikhaleni campus, uMfolozi TVET College marketing manager Bhekani Ndlovu said the shenanigans at the institution were the result of abrupt changes in leadership in a short space of time at the college.
“To tell you the truth my brother, we are at a critical
financial stage. All these things are the result of the college not having money to pay service providers on time,” said Ndlovu.
A critical service provider that supplies the college with its fleet has reportedly served the institution with court papers over unpaid invoices.
According to Ndlovu, the college CFO was able to negotiate and make an agreed payment plan towards their debt.
In a message seen by the ZO, sent to the executive manager, the CFO said, ‘We are in a state where AVIS has served us with court papers for collection of motor vehicles no later than 11 April 2024. We [are] still engaging with them, but if all fails, cars will be collected’.
Having lost almost a week of teaching and learning at the college, Ndlovu said the academic services will convene
an urgent meeting to draw up a recovery plan.
“Not much disruption has been incurred for our NATED studies engineering students as they were busy with revision in preparation for the examination.
“However, another course that also does NATED studies will be sitting for their examinations in June, while others will only start their exams in October and November,” said Ndlovu.