WATCH: UKZN student leaders vow to ‘shut down the institution’

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student leaders have threatened to shut down the institution until all students are allocated residences as many spend nights in halls, corridors and classrooms. 

Videos and pictures of students sleeping on chairs, on the floor and in corridors and halls have been doing the rounds on social media.

Students say many of them are yet to be registered because of historical debt, while others are yet to be enrolled, with the university stating they do not have space.

Inamandla Mabunda, EFF Student Command (EFFSC) KwaZulu-Natal president, said those affected include first-year and returning students.

Mabunda said since registration is online, many students from rural areas are unable to complete their registration because of network issues, and they go to the campus for help.  

Mabunda said many of the students that are affected are funded through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

He said some of the students are waiting for NSFAS to approve their funding, while others are required to pay off 15% of their historic debt before they register.  

Mabunda said it was inconvenient for many as they can’t afford to pay the 15%.

“It is not true that all accommodation is occupied. That’s a lie they feed to us and students, and we are tired of listening to that. It’s a shame that students are forced to sleep on the floor and they don’t even have food. There is no privacy and female students are exposed to gender-based violence,” said Mabunda. 

Mabunda said all five UKZN campuses, including Pietermaritzburg, share the same sentiment that the university should be shut down until all issues are resolved. He said the issues of residences are not a crisis at Howard College alone but all campuses.

“We are frustrated now and believe that the university must be shut down until all the issues are resolved. What is frustrating is that the staff have locked themselves in their offices and don’t want to help students. They keep directing students to raise their issues via email yet students do not get responses. We will have to shut the university soon,” said Mabunda. 

He said students have reached boiling point “and we have to do what needs to be done to ensure that students are assisted”. 

The university has not responded to questions.

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