[WATCH] ’UWC trying to evict us’: Students halt holiday clean-up
ON GUARD: Students outside the Hector Peterson residence. Picture supplied
Students are claiming the University of the Western Cape is lying about there being no evictions at the campus, and they’ve had to spend nights guarding their possessions.
Brumilda Bruintjies said she and other post-graduate students at the Hector Peterson residence have had to fight off security guards for the past few days or end up on the street.
The 25-year-old international relations student says: “This whole thing started a week ago when the university started sending security guards and police to throw us out of our flats and then they started sending trucks to come and evict us.
“They say they are just doing it for deep cleaning before the new year starts, but they have done that before without hassle, so that is just propaganda.
“We just put our stuff outside while they clean the dorms and all of us are vaccinated.
“On December 15, they deactivated our student cards so we cannot even go into the building.
“Now we sit outside taking turns to protect ourselves while some of us will leave to get something to eat or shower.”
University spokesperson Gasant Abarder denied any evictions are taking place and that the students were notified about the cleaning in advance.
He also denied cops were called to the campus.
“Students were requested to vacate residences by the 17th of December.
“About 60 of the 2750 students on residence had not complied while they had been offered alternative vacation accommodation.
"The residences had to be vacated in time for the interim vaccination policy to take effect on the 3rd of January 2022, while the policy states that only vaccinated students may enter campus, attend campus events or stay in residences.”
The university spokesperson added that alternative accommodation had been offered in Kuils River and Solaris Place in flats for R75 a day, with access to shops, travel and leisure activities, however, the students were not satisfied.
But Brumilda argues: “Before, we could stay over December for R500 but now they want to move us to Kuils River, so that means we have to take an Uber to get to and from our weekend jobs and still pay the R75.
"We are all postgraduate students that work weekend jobs and as tutors or teacher assistants during the year.
“We need the facilities here at the university to finish our postgraduate work.
“I am being published next year but this is such an emotional strain that my work is in jeopardy.”