GQEBERHA – Nelson Mandela University (NMU) has provided temporary housing to students who were found sleeping rough in campus common areas, following protests last week over funding, registration and accommodation.
According to NMU management in a statement, university operations have returned to normal after two days of demonstrations sparked by students sleeping on couches and mattresses in residence pause areas.
“Since last week, the University Management and student leadership have been involved in lengthy discussions about a range of concerns that the students raised,” the statement read.
“Among these was a concern about students who were found sleeping on couches and mattresses in a pause area of one of the on-campus residences. Temporary accommodation has been provided to the students.”
NMU management shared that the university received 22,763 residence applications for just 5,238 available on-campus beds, creating a significant shortfall that has been exacerbated by students’ inability to afford available off-campus alternatives.
Management added that the university has accredited 6,033 off-campus beds, with an additional 17,876 NSFAS-accredited off-campus beds available through private providers.
“The challenge is not the availability of accommodation. There is sufficient student accommodation both on- and off-campus to cater for the demand,” the statement read. “The primary constraint is affordability, as some students do not yet have secured funding for accommodation.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO)-led Student Representative Council (SRC) said that approximately 500 advanced students, excluding postgraduates, are currently awaiting accommodation outcomes.
“The Student Housing Office is still in the process of ranking these students, and once this process has been finalised, official communication will be sent directly to affected students via email,” the statement read.
“In addition, the Housing Office has confirmed that priority will be given to students who applied for accommodation, students who did not apply will be considered for off-campus placements, together with unfunded students.”
Speaking about unfunded students, the SRC said the university is required to engage in negotiations to secure the number of beds that have been requested.
“The SRC has pledged half a million towards the accommodation for unfunded students and requested that other university departments to also contribute,” the statement read.
“This discussion will take place on Wednesday when the MANCO meeting takes place. Update on concessions and secured number of beds for unfunded students will also be communicated on Wednesday.”
