Academic activity at the Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Pretoria campus will resume today after student protests resulted in a fire and classes were suspended yesterday.
TUT released a statement yesterday which explained that “While there was no damage to property, management condemns the disruptive behaviour of these few students, towards their fellow students, staff members and even members of the media.”
The university reaffirmed that it “will not tolerate disruptive behaviour and perpetrators of these actions will be subject to University disciplinary procedures”.
University management said that they will begin talking with the Institutional Student Representative Council (SRC) and the Central SRC as management had been made aware of a number of issues. While management did not specify any of the issues, it appears that an accommodation shortage is one of them. It has been reported that students have been sleeping on park benches and squatting in residences.
#TUTProtest leaders say the university should find ways to provide accommodation for all enrolled students. PP
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) February 15, 2017
TUT is not the only university facing this problem, the University of Pretoria (UP) is also experiencing an accommodation shortage. In response to this, students from the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) and Fees Must Fall activists held a campus sleep-in on Monday, February 13.The sleep-in served as an outcry against the lack of accessible and affordable accommodation.
We are sleeping outside, residences are filled by the rich. #Asinamali #UPResCrisis ??
Cc @AZANIA_PAC @eNCA pic.twitter.com/TKY6jZQGdl— Bandile Ngidi (@bandile_ngidi) February 13, 2017
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