Johannesburg - The ANC in Gauteng has offered to assist students with university accommodation while calling on them and striking workers to refrain from further threats of closing down universities.
Gauteng ANC deputy chairman and Premier David Makhura said on Thursday that the party had already, through the various municipalities in the province, offered to turn some of the empty municipal buildings and flats into student accommodation.
Earlier, Gauteng ANC chairman Paul Mashatile said: “We urge higher education institutions to work closely with local governments to provide decent accommodation for students”.
Makhura said he had already communicated their offer to the various vice-chancellors, and plans were at an advanced stage at the University of Johannesburg’s Doornfontein campus. According to him, the ANC-aligned student bodies had also been informed about the provincial leadership’s later offering.
He said he had already agreed with the university management to convert some buildings and flats in Hillbrow into student accommodation.
“We are busy with the regeneration of our city in Doornfontein and Maboneng in Joburg. We want to convert the old buildings and flats into student accommodation.
“Part of the job has already started. The student population is an important component of our residents,” Makhura said. He urged the university management in other parts of the province to engage with their local municipalities with a view to securing accommodation for students on their campuses.
Makhura also hinted that in future, any new housing development across the province would include the construction of student villages to help ease the burden on institutions of higher learning.
He said the ongoing and new developments near Lanseria Airport, the Vaal River City development in Vanderbijlpark and in Tshwane would also result in the construction of student villages.
The entire ANC leadership had one plea to striking workers and students: “Please do not shut down universities.”
They, however, warned that they would mobilise communities to march against those students who are opposed to the resumption of the normal academic year.
The ANC leadership also welcomed the pledge by the University of Pretoria (UP) to incorporate its outsourced workers and turn them gradually into permanent staff members. UP had pledged to pay some of these workers R10 000 monthly wage by 2018.
Other universities in Gauteng should consider reaching similar agreements, it said.
The Star