Durban - The ANC on Monday called on the University of KwaZulu-Natal to arrange accommodation for students left with no shelter in Durban during the weekend.
“Failure by any institution of higher education to keep students accommodated at all times can have serious consequences,” provincial spokesman Senzo Mkhize said in a statement.
According to the Independent Online, about 500 students had no place to sleep on Friday night after they were asked to check out of the Coastlands Hotel on Pixley ka Seme street, to make way for a long-standing booking by ANC local government leaders attending a summit.
The university was paying for students to stay at the hotel due to problems in residences.
The students were taken to the Downtown Hotel in Durban's Point area in the early hours of Saturday morning, where about 10 students had to share a room. The hotel is owned by doctor Genchen Rugnath and his wife Ravina. The two are accused of running a brothel from the hotel.
“We don’t feel safe here. This place has prostitutes and drunk people coming in and out,” one student told Independent Online.
Students who had relatives in Durban spent the weekend with their families.
“As the ANC we condemn this and would like to urge the university to speedily look into the matter and make sure that this never happens again,” Mkhize said.
The university did not respond to requests for comment. - Sapa