Pretoria - There was relief all round after President Jacob Zuma announced that taverns on the doorstep of both campuses of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Soshanguve would be closed down.
Zuma said their proximity to areas of learning were cause for serious concern during his Siyahlola presidential monitoring visit to the campus. The taverns have been at the centre of controversy for years.
The president told students and the TUT community that he was aware of the disturbances caused by the taverns, and the matter of their closure was receiving the attention of the provincial government.
One tavern owner had already closed his doors to the student population which frequented his establishment, Zuma announced. “The owner has given an undertaking to close earlier than before in light of the location of his tavern,” Zuma said.
There have been complaints of drunken brawls on and off campus and students being absent from class as a result of easy access to the drinking holes. The tavern outside the north campus was the scene of a squabble towards the end of last year, which saw alcohol-fuelled students engage in a gang-related physical altercation that spilt onto the campus, leaving one student dead.
Two years ago, students returning from a late-night drinking spree forced their entry on to the premises at the main gate of the university, breaking the boom and storming the security booth which they vandalised. They also destroyed equipment used by security personnel.
Students and the university welcomed the news of the imminent closure of the taverns, saying they were a distraction.
Fourth-year student Lesedi Zungu said they provided a platform for egos and attitudes to be unleashed. “The different tribes will discuss their differences over drinks, and to enforce superiority over others, they would start to fight.”
One third-year student, who identified himself only as Sabelo, said he had failed his first year because he had spent so much time drinking at night and struggled to concentrate during lessons. “I came here a disciplined child who had never indulged in such wasteful activities,” he said, adding that he had fallen so far behind in his studies that he failed dismally, to the disappointment of his parents.
TUT spokeswoman Willa de Ruyter said the closure of the taverns would be welcomed. “It is good news because that would be in the best interests of the students and the university.”
The taverns and their closeness to the campuses was a long-standing problem, which caused major problems for students and TUT, she said.
Pretoria News