DURBAN - THE University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) says it will be conducting an investigation regarding incidents in which students were being irregularly moved to alternative accommodation to force it into contracts with slum lords.
In a communiqué issued by the institution, the university said that there were people who were encouraging students to vacate university-approved leased student accommodation and relocate to other establishments that were not formally approved and leased by the university.
Vice-chancellor and principal at UKZN Professor Nana Poku said the university had evidence on the matter.
According to the evidence, said Poku, these persons were enticing students to leave their accommodation by offering some benefit or reward to them, and worse, by means of threats, intimidation and/or harassment.
Poku said the aim behind such conduct was to force the university to contract with landlords, whose buildings were not in compliance with the university’s norms and standards for student accommodation.
He said these landlords had not followed the university’s procurement policies and processes. “Students and landlords are hereby alerted to this modus operandi. They are also requested to immediately report any conduct, in relation thereto, to the university's Forensic Services or to the Risk Management Services Offices.
“Such reports will be investigated by the university with the intention of laying criminal charges against any person(s) responsible, enabling or participating in such conduct, and to bring an appropriate action in the high court to sue them for any loss or damage suffered by the university as a result,” he said.
Poku said those students who vacated their accommodation to relocate to residences offered by these persons did so entirely at their own cost and risk.
“The university will also not pay any rental for such accommodation to any person. The university also reserves the right to take appropriate student disciplinary action against any student who is responsible for, enables and/or participates in such conduct.”
The student representative council (SRC) said such conduct had been brought to their attention by students who were complaining about the accommodation they had been moved to.
The SRC president Siyabonga Nkambako said the university should investigate the Department of Student Housing, as it was in charge of buildings and the allocation of student accommodation.
He said there were allegations that students were being bribed and threatened since March, and they had raised this issue with the management.
“Student housing should be probed on this because it is their officials who are involved in allocating students and dealing with accommodation landlords. I can assure you that there are no
SRC members involved in this because we are the ones who have been trying, by all means, to raise this with the university,” he said.
Furthermore, he said they had also received a number of complaints from students at Edgewood College, Pietermaritzburg campuses and Howard College about the state of the residences they are living in.
He said that earlier this year, a meeting held by various bodies resolved that an inspection team would be formed to inspect residences.
The team would be accompanied by the Department of Student Housing, and those properties found not conducive would have their contracts terminated, said Nkambako.
However, he said, the inspections had not been done.
THE MERCURY