Students outside Buffalo City TVET College St Marks campus on Thursday. Photo: Siphokazi Vuso
3 March 2017
After two weeks of protests at Buffalo City TVET College in East London, management posted a notice on Thursday threatening to close residences if disruptions of teaching continued.
The notice also said an “attendance policy” would be implemented and no students would receive meal allowances in March should they fail to attend class.
Students have been blocking entrances to Buffalo City campus and there have been protests at St Mark’s campus as well. The protesting students are demanding an increase in meal and transport allowances and the election of a new Student Representative Council. Some of the protesting students do not stay in the residences.
On Friday, with security guards present, students were told to sign a declaration letter accepting the meal allowance of R1,000 per month. If students did not sign the declaration to stay at the hostel and accept the college’s terms and conditions, they were requested to leave no later than 2:30pm.
Many students signed, fearing eviction. At this stage, GroundUp is unaware of any students who refused to sign.
Nosipho Makhanya, an Education and Development student, said she will have nowhere to go if she was to be evicted. “I am from Tsolo [275km away], and I don’t have any relatives here in East London,” she said.