Students Left in the Dark as Nelson Mandela Bay Cuts Power for Unpaid Bills
This is part of the municipality’s bid to recover R17-billion in unpaid electricity bills across its 60 wards
NMU
Call for calm amid accommodation situation at higher learning institutions
Call for calm amid accommodation situation at higher learning institutions
The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education has raised concern over the ongoing accommodation crisis at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and the Nelson Mandela University (NMU).
This comes as hundreds of students have been left stranded and forced to sleep wherever they find shelter.
In a statement on Tuesday, Higher Education Committee Chairperson, Tebogo Letsie, said the scenes at CPUT and NMU were deeply troubling, particularly following the committee’s recent oversight visits to institutions in the North West and Gauteng provinces to assess the state of readiness for the 2025 academic year.
“While institutions assured the committee of their preparedness, the current crisis underscores the urgent need for greater scrutiny of these assurances. The systemic failure to address recurring student accommodation shortages reflects a broader institutional and governmental neglect of student welfare,” Letsie said.
The chairperson has also condemned the involvement of private security forces at CPUT, which resulted in violent clashes and injuries to students.
“The use of excessive force is unacceptable. Security personnel must prioritise de-escalation and protection, not repression. Students advocating for their right to education deserve empathy, not violence,” Letsie said.
National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Administrator, Freeman Nomvalo, said the scheme has reached out to accommodation providers who have not received payment and has established payment arrangements with them.
Last week, the NSFAS called on accommodation providers, or landlords, not to demand a deposit or top-up payment from NSFAS-funded students.
This after some landlords asked NSFAS-funded students to pay a deposit or top-up payment in order to get access to the approved private accommodation.
According to the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement, the rent will be paid monthly to the accommodation provider (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf of the lessee (NSFAS funded student), in accordance with the NSFAS terms and conditions for private accommodation providers’ participation on the student accommodation portal.
The agreement states that the lessor may not require or permit the lessee to pay a deposit, top-up payments, or any other forms of payment to the lessor, or any other person in connection with this agreement, including payment of rent, while awaiting payment from NSFAS.
The lessor shall have no recourse against the lessee for any default in the payment of rent by NSFAS.
The NSFAS terms and conditions for private accommodation providers’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states that: “Where the NSFAS-funded student is defunded due to an incorrect decision by NSFAS, the student will not be liable for payment of any arrear rent to the accommodation provider, up until the date of being defunded.” – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Wed, 02/12/2025 - 09:32
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CPUT and NMU Accommodation ‘Challenges’
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Mr Tebogo Letsie, has expressed profound concern over the ongoing accommodation crisis at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and the Nelson Mandela University (NMU). This crisis has left hundreds of students desperate and forced to sleep wherever they find shelter.
“The scenes at CPUT and NMU are deeply troubling, particularly following the committee's recent oversight visits to institutions in North West and Gauteng Provinces to assess readiness for the 2025 academic year,” said Mr Letsie.
“While institutions assured the committee of their preparedness, the current crisis underscores the urgent need for greater scrutiny of these assurances. The systemic failure to address recurring student accommodation shortages reflects a broader institutional and governmental neglect of student welfare.”
The Chairperson condemned the involvement of private security forces at CPUT, which resulted in violent clashes and injuries to students. “The use of excessive force is unacceptable. Security personnel must prioritise de-escalation and protection, not repression. Students advocating for their right to education deserve empathy, not violence,” said Mr Letsie.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Students Disrupt Classes Amid Housing Crisis
NSFAS blamed for student accommodation challenges
Residents urged to handle waste disposal wisely
Residents urged to handle waste disposal wisely
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) has called on residents and businesses to exercise caution and follow protocols for the safe handling and disposal of all types of waste, especially hazardous waste.
“Failure to do so exposes people to serious health hazards,” Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Public Health, Thsonono Buyeye warned.
The call follows the unfortunate death of a 13-year-old child, who is suspected to have consumed a poisonous substance from a refuse bag in Bluewater Bay recently.
Following the unfortunate incident, the city’s Waste Management Sub-Directorate, under the Public Health Directorate, has embarked on an intensive stakeholder awareness and engagement programme to empower the public and businesses regarding guidelines on how to safely manage hazardous waste.
Buyeye said the stakeholder awareness and engagement programme will form part of a project called the Separation at Source Programme (SSP), which is currently underway.
“Separation at Source is a practice of sorting waste materials into different categories (like paper, plastic, glass and, etc.) at the point where they are generated, like in a household or factory, before they are disposed of, essentially preventing recyclable materials from going to landfills by separating them from other waste streams at the source,” Buyeye explained.
Buyeye said the sessions will include public education meetings, including door-to-door registration in Blue Water Bay, where the second phase of the SSP will be introduced on Tuesday.
Addressing the residents during a recent public engagement meeting in Bluewater Bay, Buyeye committed that the work currently underway will place special focus on hazardous waste handling and disposal.
"We will be working in partnership with waste pickers, households, businesses and the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) to improve in this area. It is unfortunate that the child’s death occurred at the time when the Directorate was about to launch the SSP in Bluewater Bay and surrounding areas,” Buyeye said.
He said engagements with business will include the education of businesses on the separation of recyclable and non-recyclable materials, with the intention of reducing the opportunity for waste reclaimers accessing dangerous waste items, and to ensure that hazardous substances are safely disposed of.
Buyeye said that the directorate is also engaging with the Nelson Mandela University to get access to, and benefit from the wealth of knowledge and expertise in various fields, including environmental science, waste management and chemical safety.
“The municipality also hopes to benefit from the university’s research to improve its waste management practices, especially concerning the safe handling and disposal of chemicals,” Buyeye said. – SAnews.gov.za
GabiK
Mon, 02/10/2025 - 10:04
61 views
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