Johannesburg - The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has come under fire from students over the quality of its residences.
Students claim the places they have had to call home are not suitable for humans. In late July, women students who resided in an on-campus residence in Arcadia took to social media to voice their grievances regarding the facility's infrastructure. They posted several pictures and narrated their frustrations under the hashtag #WeWantChangeTUT.
“These are the living conditions of a TUT on campus Heidehof Residence. A ladies' residence in Pretoria next to Arts Campus. Our cries are not heard,” wrote one student who also posted pictures of various areas in the residence, including a bathtub with rusted taps, a leaking roof, and a shower area with broken tiles and dilapidated walls.
The students alleged that they had written several petitions to the university to remove them from the facility. However, their requests were ignored, and the university only moved them after the social media posts gained traction.
“They moved us from Heidehof to a different location on August 9 after months and months of complaining. I think they only took us seriously after we picketed outside Arcadia Campus. Living at that residence was a nightmare for us girls. There are nyaope boys (whoonga addicts) in the vicinity, and we would get scared that they would gain entry into the building security as not that tight. On top of that, door handles are broken,” said a student who asked not to be named.
It is alleged that the institution has closed down five more residences in Soshanguve as they are also in a dire state. But, the university denied these allegations.
“The statement is not correct. TUT has only relocated students at the Heidehof residents and half of the students in Tempo male residences near the Pretoria Arts and Arcadia campuses. These are temporary arrangements while residences are being refurbished,” said Phaphama Tshisikhawe, the university’s spokesperson.
The varsity said it did not fail to provide students with a conducive environment that is safe and secure, but it is currently undergoing maintenance processes.
“Since 2020, major maintenance projects have been implemented, and we continue to execute these plans. There are full-time residence and maintenance staff who conduct daily inspections and submit reports,” Tshisikhawe added.
She said the institute only has one female and one male residence near the Arts and Arcadia campuses, which need to be utilised for student convenience and affordability.
“When residents were registered at the beginning of the year, it was expected that some of the refurbishments and maintenance work could be done during the first part of the year, but this will only be completed end of the year. It should be noted that TUT residence fees are relatively low and they are the only source of funding for residences, including maintenance,” she said.
The university has 27 owned residences with an additional 157 accredited accommodation facilities, which Tshisikhawe firmly stated that they were all in good condition except for the Heidehof and Tempo residences.
She expressed that the institution thoroughly assesses external accommodation facilities before they can be accredited. Tshisikhawe said that, among other things, the building must be within a 20km radius of the campus and meet the minimum norms and standards for student housing issued by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
“If the residence does not meet the criteria during the application process, it won’t be accredited. If there is a deterioration post accreditation, we can detect that in two ways. First, it is through the regular and sampled inspections the university conducts. Second, it is when students lodge complaints or rate the residence poorly on the TRes platform,” Tshisikhawe explained.
Aaron Mogashoa, general manager responsible for student accommodation at TUT Enterprise Holdings (TUTEH), said over 27 000 students were placed in the 157 accredited accommodations for the 2022 academic year.
“There are 7 000 students in the 10 leased residences. All these residences are spread across the seven campuses of the university. As the background information indicates, TUTEH Prop is not responsible for university-owned residences,” Mogashoa.
He explained that residence at the university is split into two.
“The one category is made up of residences that are owned and managed by the university itself. The division responsible for this category of residences is a directorate in the university called Accommodation, Residence Life and Catering (ARLC). The other category comprises residences owned by private service providers and either accredited or leased by TUTEH Properties (TUTEH Prop), a subsidiary of the university's wholly owned company, TUT Enterprise Holdings,” said Mogashoa.
He said that moving students to a different accommodation would not be out of the ordinary if their place of residence requires renovations.
“TUTEH Prop takes great care in ensuring the quality of the residences it accredits or enters into lease arrangements with any accommodators. There is a rigorous process of inspection and quality check, which is led and conducted by qualified individuals in the built environment and engineering fields as well as health and safety,” he said.