Wrangle over student residence at UCT

UCT has refuted claims by student leaders that as many as 29 students were being “evicted” from residences for not paying fees.

The university’s SRC said on Friday that some students had discovered their rooms were locked and their belongings had been removed. Student leaders expressed their dismay that the university would evict students right before the commencement of midyear exams.

UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said that no students were asked to “vacate their residences as a result of non-payment of fees”.

“The Student Housing and Residence Life office has sent notices to 12 students who are academically ineligible to continue in 2017 and are therefore not registered for this academic year. These students will be provided with the necessary transport assistance to return to their homes‚” said Moholola.

He said an addition 13 students had made payment arrangements with the university to settle their outstanding debt and would continue to have access to learning facilities but would only be registered as students once their fees were settled.

“UCT has put in measures in place to assist students with debt‚ particularly in 2017 and last year. The UCT executive remains committed to‚ within the context of available resources‚ assisting all academically and financially eligible students‚” said Moholola.

Student advocacy co-ordinator Simone Cornelius said some students found their belongings placed into storage last week.

“They didn’t have access to their belongings and in addition to that‚ they didn’t have access to their rooms. So they were completely stranded and these were students from as far as Northern African countries so they had nowhere else to go. In other cases students were given notice to vacate their rooms‚” said Cornelius.

UCT SRC president Seipati Tshabalala said at a media conference on Friday that students were told that if they don’t find alternative accommodation they could not write exams.

- TimesLIVE