Africa-Press – South-Africa. Some students at the Vaal University of Technology were left stranded when the institution ordered everyone to leave the campus after some buildings were destroyed by a fire during a protest on Wednesday night.
The protests were said to be centred around an issue with NSFAS allowances and the funding of student accommodation.
The university released a statement informing students about the immediate evacuation from the campus.
Attempts to get hold of a spokesperson were unsuccessful, but comment will be added once received.
Vaal University of Technology shut down after buildings set alight during protest
No one has been found responsible for the fire yet.
On Thursday evening, as temperatures continued to drop, students were huddled outside with their luggage, desperately trying to organise transport home.
Some of them told News24 that they lived far and would have to borrow money for transport.
Lorance Momogops, a 27-year-old third-year student from North West, said he had to make other arrangements regarding where to sleep after they were kicked off campus.
He said:
He became emotional as he told News24 about VUT’s treatment of students.
“I don’t think they have their best interests at heart when it comes to their students. They are really playing with our emotions,” Momogops said, adding that he was stressed because he still had two tests to write and the university was not being clear about when they could return to campus.
After 17:00, the security gate was flooded by students, some of whom had their belongings, while others had their cellphones only.
Thabiso Kuleile, 55, who was there to fetch his son, said he was disappointed and was considering moving his child to another institution.
He said:
“This is affecting his studying. It’s not the first disturbance, [it’s probably] the third one… I have lost hope in the institute.”
Parents collecting their children were worried about how students staying in other provinces would get home.
Later that evening, a student fainted, while others had tears in their eyes as it started to get dark.
A security company later arrived with dogs to patrol the residences.
An SRC member who preferred to remain anonymous said they had eventually reached an agreement to allow students who couldn’t organise transport to return to their residences.
“Students were allowed back into their rooms to arrange to evacuate at 06:00 on Friday. A negotiation between the SRC, house committee and management is still under way.
“We’re hoping for a better response from the management.”
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