Cape Town - “Frustrated” Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) students protested on the Cape Town campus on Wednesday, demanding their accommodation problems be resolved.
Students led by the CPUT Cape Town branch of the SA Students’ Congress (Sasco) occupied offices in the university’s housing department and demanded to see its head. Some of the students said they had successfully applied for accommodation last year but other students who applied this year had received places before them.
Before the protest, Aviwe Gwayi, Sasco’s local secretary, said the aim of the protest was to highlight the “serious” problems with student accommodation.
He said some students who had applied for student accommodation were told they couldn’t be found on the system while other students were told residences were full. But this didn’t make sense as some students who had found places in the residences had reported there were empty beds.
Residences head Temba Hlasho eventually addressed the students. He said certain processes had been agreed upon with the Students Representative Council but asked students to compile a list of their names and issues. He would then meet with their leadership.
The group agreed.
Earlier this month, the Cape Argus reported that some students claimed they had to sleep outside on the campus or in the student centre because of problems with their financial aid payments and delays on the computer system.
The university refuted the claims.
At the time, acting dean of students advocate Lionel Harper said: “Our system cannot delay students’ admission to our residences since making a payment and getting a receipt is proof enough of payment and allows a student into the system.
“Even a letter from the CPUT National Student Financial Aid office is proof enough that a student has been funded, therefore we automatically allow them into our residences.”
Cape Argus