Students to blame for housing shortage - DUT

17 February 2017 - 17:31 By Jeff Wicks
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The homeless DUT students slept on the steps of the administration block on the Steve Biko campus in protest.
The homeless DUT students slept on the steps of the administration block on the Steve Biko campus in protest.
Image: JEFF WICKS

More than 1 000 Durban University of Technology (DUT) students without accommodation have themselves to blame‚ the institution said. They didn’t applied for it.

In protest the homeless students this week slept on the steps of the administration block on the Steve Biko campus in protest.

DUT is scrambling to find a place for about 1 500 students who were allegedly promised accommodation.

The situation reached crisis point last week when protests over the housing shortage resulted in DUT shutting its doors.

JEFF WICKS

Homeless DUT students protest on the steps of the administration block on the Steve Biko campus. Photo: Jeff Wicks

“Some of the major challenges we faced as a university with regard to planning for this matter is that we did not know how many students were receiving full NSFAS [National Student Financial Aid Scheme] packages as these were only confirmed in recent weeks‚” it said in a statement.

“We also cannot control the fact that 1 131 students‚ who are now demanding housing after registration‚ did not apply for student accommodation.” DUT had planned to accommodate 4 777 students at its residences in 2017.

“Because we are in competition with sister universities in the city for student accommodation‚ we were not able to secure the required number of beds. This meant us losing buildings that were previously leased by us.”

Classes resumed at DUT on Monday morning.

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