Students at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) protested outside Steve Biko campus demanding to receive their National Student Financial Scheme (NSFAS) allowances yesterday.
The students were led by the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) members as they protested outside campus premises. They stated that they will not be going to classrooms with empty stomachs as they had not received their allowances for the month. Some of them mentioned to have received emails informing them of having been defunded by the University pending NSFAS budget approval. Some of these students stay at private residential accommodations and their continued stay at those accommodations is uncertain.
“I am hungry, and I am very worried about being kicked out of res as I cannot even pay for my accommodation, since I have been defunded,” said Zabusiswa Dlomo, a student.
Students were ushered out of classrooms by EFFSC ahead of the protest. Some of them complained about the brutality and fear stroked when EFFSC members were chasing them out of campus.
“I am someone who has cardiac issues, so, I had a panic attack since they were behind me, screaming and shouting at me,” said Anele Kunene, a student.
The DUT EFFSC has condemned the actions of members who are alleged to have acted unruly towards students. However, since the perpetrators of the violence were masked, they are unable to identify if they are members or not. The EFF student command at the campus has distanced itself from the violence, saying that the protest was a peaceful demonstration by students.
“Students from all main campuses including ML Sultan, Steve Biko and Riston were removed peacefully, so, we cannot account for those people as our members since they were masked,” said Kapteni, EFFSC member.
Meanwhile, the DUT Student Representative Council (SRC) President Solomzi Zoleka has committed to ensuring that the students’ issues are fixed and is planning with the University to make sure students get their allowances soon.
“On our side as the SRC, we will look into our budget as to how we can assist those students who have been defunded by seeing if we can cut funds from some upcoming programs’ budgets,” said Zolomzi Zoleka.
He mentioned that they are looking into getting financial assistance from various departments to meet the urgent needs of the students.
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By Prudence Mathenjwa | 07 May 2025
