Opening Spaces

Ignoring or excluding the voices of students from decisions that impact their livelihoods can have grave consequences. In 2010 the University of the Western Cape erupted in protest marches over NSFAS. It eventually led to the arrest of 21 students and a court interdict to stop it.

Students in the end won the battle but it showed that it is only when students protest that they are taken seriously. This year it seems to be the case with residence accommodation also the case as students are already protesting over a shortage of accommodation. KOVACS and UWC have an agreement to build a state of the art residence that will be privately owned by KOVACS for about 30 years and after that it will become UWC property.

It sounds like a good deal until you hear the prices. The price for a single room is R30 000 per and for a double room R27 000. The reality of UWC is that not a lot of students can afford it. In the process of building this new residence, KOVACS would have to demolish two smaller residences of UWC to make way for their privately owned bigger residence.

This is what anger students the most. A significant number of students this year have not been successful for residence accommodation because there are not enough spaces. One of the questions one need to ask is the following: who in their right mind would break down public property to build private property and this whilst a lot of students from disadvantages backgrounds do not have a place to stay. This does not make sense.

A number of bursaries so far have indicated that they will not pay for accommodation at KOVACS and with the loan most students receives from NSFAS it will not be enough to cover living at KOVACS and other necessary expenditures. The SASCO led SRC have also indicated that the establishment of KOVACS will tear apart the social cohesion of the UWC residence community because of the class division that will are creayed in the process.

KOVACS therefore is contradictory to UWCs ideological stand which is a leftist university. For many years UWC is known to be university of the working class. A second question therefore need to be ask: Does KOVACS signals a departure from UWCs ideological stance? Can it still be called the home of the left?

Today I saw the faces of the protesting students, and it was clear that they are not backing off. Anyone who hoped that this will blow over quickly is wrong! Students need accommodation and as long there is a residence being build who can accommodate them, they will not stop?

After the leaders gave feedback, one student ask such a valid question: She asked: Where must we stay tonight? A question that left me speechless. I still do not have an answer to this question.

01 February 2012