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- UWC students claim they have been forcefully evicted from campus residences.
- Students say they have been manhandled and physically assaulted by security and staff members.
- The university said the students were asked to vacate in time for the implementation of the institution's interim Covid-19 vaccination policy, approved by council in November.
Disgruntled University of the Western Cape (UWC) students have lashed out at university management, claiming they were seemingly "forcefully" evicting them from campus residences, leaving them stranded with no money for food or alternative accommodation.
Students who usually spent the holidays on campus were informed they would need to leave to allow for maintenance to take place.
Several students claimed that the mass evictions began on Friday and carried on into the weekend.
Students were now vowing to stay put and not leave their residences.
Speaking to News24 from her Hector Petersen residence, masters student Brumilda Bruintjies, 25, said when she returned home from her part-time job on Monday night she was not allowed back onto campus.
"Other students and I weren't allowed back into the residence on Monday as security said we're not allowed to be there anymore. We had just finished a late shift at our different jobs and did not anticipate that we would not have a place to sleep for the night," added Bruintjies.
Bruintjies said they were treated "like filthy dogs" by security personnel.
According to the students, they had contacted the local police to come and intervene.
"When SAPS arrived, the officers spoke to the security who eventually then let us inside the property. The security guard then told us that if we are not out [of] the property by Tuesday, they will forcefully throw us out by any means possible," said Bruintjies.
Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that Belhar police responded to a complaint at the UWC residence on Monday. "The situation was brought under control and the students returned to their residences," he added.
The students had not left their rooms since they were allowed back in – some had indicated that they might lose their part-time jobs as they could not show up for work in the state that they were in.
"How am I supposed to go to work when my focus will be entirely on where I will sleep when I come back home. I don't have anywhere else to sleep; my entire life is inside my residence room," she said.
According to the students, they were notified of a private residence in Hazendal that they could stay at, however, they would need to pay R75 per day.
A PHD student who asked not to be named said she could not afford to pay R75 every day for accommodation.
The student said:
The students said they signed an accommodation lease in March this year for 12 months.
"We are only supposed to leave the residence in March next year. Why the university decided to kick us out now is anyone's guess," said the student.
Bruintjies said when the evictions started over the weekend, there were students that were literally physically assaulted by university staff.
She said:
The students said they did not want to take the chance of going to make a case at the police station for fear that they might not be allowed back onto the property when they returned.
"The officers said they would come out to us to get our statements, but they still haven't shown up."
Another student who asked to be identified as Bongani "Bongs" said he could not believe that the university was treating them like this, while going on national television to give interviews, but "choosing not to respond to students' concerns".
"This is really not cool. We are days away from Christmas, this is not the kind of stress we need right now," he added.
Bruintjies said another student who suffers from severe panic attacks was unable to get her medication from her room.
She said:
Students said they had no plans to go back to their home provinces and had "no clue" where they would be sleeping for the rest of the week.
Some said they would camp out on the streets outside the university with their belongings.
South African Students Congress (Sasco) provincial chairperson, Mangaliso Nompula, said they were "disturbed" by the "unjustified, selfish, inhumane actions taken against students who remained behind at residence due to different circumstances".
"We must mention the total disappointment and disgust portrayed by the student representative council in agreeing to such a position at the expense of students. What disturbs me in this current leadership, is that they all ran back home before all these evictions were enforced," he added.
Nompula added that when the institution introduced the vacation accommodation, it stemmed from the understanding of "historical injustices that we as a generation inherited from the social construct induced by colonisers, in the form of triple oppression, that being race class and gender clarification".
"This ruthless action is a domino effect of the premature adoption of the policy," he said.
The University’s Media co-ordinator Anél Lewis said they wish to place on record that there are 'no evictions at UWC' and no such decision was ever taken.
"Students are placed in residences for the academic year, and since the academic year has come to an end, the University is preparing for its annual closure on 23 December ahead of the 2022 academic year," she said.
Lewis added that over the years, the University has allowed individuals to apply for vacation accommodation and this has affected the 'proper maintenance of residences' because it is difficult to work on a facility while students are present.
Sasco said UWC management wanted to control full access of who entered its premises come 2022.
According to the university's spokesperson, Gasant Abarder, they had not received any complaints from the affected individuals.
"There is a clear grievance process that students can use to report and can write directly to the relevant offices to report. Vacation accommodation is never paid up front. This is a separate discussion with the university after assessments are completed," he said.
"In this instance, no such arrangements were made because the notice to vacate all residences was issued on 2 December already – at the same time that final assessments ended," Abarder added. Abarder said the current process to relocate students to off-campus spaces was part of the preparation process for the implementation of the interim Covid-19 vaccination policy, approved by Council on 25 November.
"Alternative accommodation has been made for students at Solaris Place as well as Mooiberg Simonsberg in Kuils River. Should the students decide to stay at these locations they will pay the same price of R75, which is the same price they are paying at varsity residence," Abarder added.
The university had also made provision to provide students with transportation to their respective private accommodations made available for them.
"As per the policy, only vaccinated staff and students would be granted access to campus facilities, including residences and there is an ongoing process to deep clean residences in preparation for 2022. Ordinarily, the December vacation period is used to address maintenance, repairs and health and safety issues. Eligible students who wish to stay in residence during this period know this and are allocated spaces accordingly," said Abarder.
According to the university, the UWC interim Covid-19 vaccination policy required that only students and staff that were vaccinated may enter or access campus or residences, and this would take effect on 3 January.
"If students have been assaulted it needs to be reported to the university management and to SAPS. We have received no such complaints. The entire campus community, including students, was part of the consultation which happened on campus before the policy was approved by the UWC council on 25 November and then communicated to the entire campus community," added Abarder.
The university added that they had been communicating with students every day since 17 December.
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