Delays in stipend payments have brought frustration and anxiety to many a student who is on the AgriSeta Learnership Programme presented by Elgin Community College in Grabouw.
Groups from Vredenburg and Saldanha have expressed their concern regarding these stipends and have waited long enough. According to the description of the programme AgriSeta invites unemployed youth to apply for a 12-month learnership programme designed for individuals interested in acquiring skills and practical experience in primary agriculture. Along with this, a stipend of R2 500 per month is promised.
According to students their last payment was received at the end of September and they had not received anything for October. They said all efforts to contact the college to enquire after what was happening had not met with success.
One student from Vredenburg said he was disappointed in the college as he attended the classes as per the contract and depended on the funds to sustain his life.
“Without the stipend I can’t pay rent and therefore I had to find piecemeal work to assist with groceries for the month.” He also noted this was not the first time complaints about the college and its problematic payments had been made, for these had occurred many times before.
Another student felt such situations simply serve to show that the college and its incentives are really a glorified scam. “They’re doing this so they can have more money over December, which is quite close, something I believe is well worth investigating.
Rowan Garnad, project manager of Elgin Community College, Grabouw, said everything had been signed off and there was a delay in the payments.
“We are trying to sort everything out as quickly as possible,” he said.
