College housing struggles, NSFAS woes force Free State students into dismal conditions

Daily Maverick

3 days ago

Students at Flavius Mareka TVET College are being forced to stay in unsafe and inadequate digs as the institution battles a growing housing crisis. With finances tight and infrastructure lacking, an estimated 80% of students are without accommodation.
Flavius Mareka Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College, located in Sasolburg and Kroonnstad in the Free State and comprising three campuses – Sasolburg Technical College, Kroonstad Technical College and Mphohadi College – is in the grip of a severe accommodation crisis.
College principal Bhekithemba Nkonyane confirmed the dire situation, telling Daily Maverick that there were few adequate private student housing facilities.
'It is true that most of our students are not living in proper accommodation from private service providers. Those who do not have their own accommodation have really been struggling, and our college is one of those where students are forced to stay in very uncomfortable conditions because private providers take advantage of them,' Nkonyane said.
An oversight visit by the Democratic Alliance councillor in the Metsimaholo Local Municipality, where the Sasolburg campus is situated, uncovered the poor conditions. Councillor Phemelo Tabile said the college had no clear plan to resolve the crisis.
'The student accommodation across the college is a big issue. They only have three accommodations and rely on private providers. They need over 1,000 beds to accommodate students. At the moment, they say they cannot do anything because they have no funding to address these issues… Most of these houses are in a bad state, it's an informal setup and not conducive for students to live in,' said Tabile.
Nkonyane said about 5,000 students were enrolled at the college this semester, most of whom were from outside Sasolburg. The demand for accommodation was critical. He said that about 80% of the students lacked housing and were left to solve the issue themselves.
'If you have students coming from Bloemfontein, they will need accommodation and almost 80% of those 5,000 need housing,' Nkonyane said.
In another oversight visit conducted by the South African Students' Congress (Sasco) and the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu), it was discovered that the toilets at Flavius Mareka College residences were unhygienic, with the inside infrastructure, including doors and ceilings, in a poor state.
Student outcry over poor accommodation
Students living in private housing told Daily Maverick that they were struggling. No one from the college, or landlords, had been helpful.
Kearabestsoe Mapogoshe, a first-year student from Gauteng studying general management at Sasolburg Technical College, said, 'We are struggling in terms of accommodation. The landlords are not fixing their property because there are leaks in the roof, rats keep coming, and when we complain, landlords tell us that we need to leave.
'We are sharing a little room paying R1,500, and when NSFAS was not paying, we were almost chased out, but I received funding in April, so I was able to pay.
'We want the management of the school to do something about this.'
A second-year Sasolburg Technical College student from Mpumalanga, who wanted to remain anonymous, said, 'Our rooms are not safe and we have been neglected… Sometimes we contribute on our own to purchase electricity. Since last year, the toilets have not been hygienic and the landlord just sends us R50 for plastic bags. Our drainage system is bad, and the beds are not in good condition. The microwaves and stoves were damaged – we had to ask engineering students to help us. I pay R1,000 per month.'
NSFAS payment delays add to student hardships
Compounding the crisis is the delayed payment from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), leaving many students unable to pay rent. This has resulted in evictions.
Boitumelo Majoe, Sasco president at Flavius Mareka, described the situation as dire, especially now, during exam season.
Majoe said students had tried to raise the issue of inadequate accommodation, a situation that had led to unrest. Added to this were the delayed NSFAS rental payments.
'We tried to check with them [NSFAS], but because the offices are in Cape Town, we cannot reach them… Students are living in groups at accommodations and some have gone home,' said Majoe.
Students at TVET colleges across the country have been evicted from private accommodation. In April, Daily Maverick reported that students from Waterberg TVET college in Lebowakgomo campus were evicted by landlords after NSFAS paid students, instead of landlords, directly.
Majoe said that some landlords had evicted Flavius Mareka students due to NSFAS non-payment. 'Most of our students were kicked out because NSFAS didn't pay. We tried to engage with letters to say, 'guys, please, there is a challenge with NSFAS we are dealing with', but the landlords are arrogant.'
Nkonyane told Daily Maverick that the institution was now in talks with NSFAS to address accommodation issues, including setting standards for private student accommodation.
Early this month, NSFAS appeared at the parliamentary committee for higher education, where they were criticised by members of Parliament who described the scheme as a disappointing institution after continual non-payment issues and unnecessary spending.