A peaceful campus shutdown and protest began on Monday (13/4) as students expressed their dissatisfaction with what they described as neglect by university management. For long, they claimed, they’ve had to contend with dilapidated buildings, poor services, and broken promises.

According to the memorandum of demands, these problems make it hard for students to study, feel safe, or stay healthy. A primary concern is the severe shortage of accredited student accommodation. 

Many are reportedly forced to live in non-accredited buildings and demand for allowances to be paid directly to landlords.

Representative Mpho Makau said students should not be forced into unsuitable living conditions, and their rejection of substandard housing must be respected. “Repair broken toilets, upgrade sports facilities and drainage systems.”

The protesters claimed a crisis in infrastructure planning led to the cancellation of a scheduled test on Saturday (11/4) because of space constraints. The campus clinic was also allegedly operating poorly, leading to calls for a fully functional facility with better staffing and emergency response capabilities.

The student body claimed the lack of resources has had serious consequences for safety. Additionally, they demanded the immediate rollout of a food parcel programme, which they said had been delayed for too long while students suffer from hunger.

Other demands include:

• payment of outstanding allowances from 2024, 2025, and 2026;
• implementation of allowances for students doing work-integrated learning; and
• •immediate repairs to broken toilets and drainage systems to prevent flooding.

OFM News has contacted the university for comment.

OFM News/Refilwe Bekane dg

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