THE KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Agriculture has squarely blamed the provincial public works department for subjecting students at the state-owned Cedara College of Agriculture outside Pietermaritzburg to inhumane living conditions.
The Department of Agriculture has linked the appalling living conditions that have led to the students embarking on a strike action to its counterpart’s failure to complete the renovation of the residences on time. Besides training future farmers and food producers, the college also does research for agricultural industry.
The college had late last month evicted students who were on strike complaining about being subjected to harsh living conditions.
There were also allegations that while the students were living in a filthy environment, the college management concealed this from deputy president Paul Mashatile by doing hush-hush cleaning up in preparation for his visit to the institution late last month.
Agriculture spokesperson Vusi Zuma said Public Works was given the task of renovating residences, which started in June 2021 with an agreement to complete it within 24 months.
“Public Works is taking its own time to complete (at Cedara),” said Zuma.
The college, which in this current financial year was allocated over R44 million by the department to cover all its annual expenses, accommodates 110 students in its hostels.
Zuma said during the strike in May, some of the students threatened to burn cars resulting in the police being called to monitor the situation.
“These are our children, but they are unruly and they don’t listen.
“I heard that they wanted to protest (again) during the deputy president’s visit,” he said.
Concurring with Zuma, Public Works spokesperson Mlungisi Khumalo said the renovation was left incomplete after a contract between his department and a service provider hired to do the construction was terminated “after the contractor failed to complete the work”.
“The department has already begun the process of replacing the contractor and the process is at an advanced stage.
“A new service provider will be appointed as early as next week,” said Khumalo.
Some students have approached uMngeni Municipality mayor Christopher Pappas who has gained popularity for impressively improving service delivery in the municipality to help their institution, but Pappas could not do that as the college does not fall under his municipality’s jurisdiction.
The college, which is situated with the DA-led municipality, is wholly owned and financed by the provincial Department of Agriculture.
During the strike, students also complained about appalling poor food quality and cold sleeping rooms.
Zuma said the 117-year-old college was due for renovation and new development on its edging infrastructure.
A student representative council leader who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal said almost the entire college has been untidy and a health hazard since the beginning of the construction and left like that when the contract was terminated.
“We have been complaining about this all along, but just a week before the deputy president’s visit there was a sudden cleanup of some of the areas, which made us realised that this could be done and we had been deliberately ignored,” he said.
UMngeni deputy mayor Sandile Mnikathi described this on Twitter as an act of hiding untidiness from government leaders.
“But when @PMashatile visited last week they cleaned up … where he would be, and other non-essential areas. All so they could save face, but nothing for students who occupy these spaces on a daily basis,” said Mnikathi.
Zuma said: “The facilities at Cedara College are diligently maintained and cleaned on a daily basis, as they form an integral part of our students’ curriculum. However, during the visit of the deputy president, his protocol and security details assumed control of the facility as part of his protection services.”
When contacted, college principal Berndt Lutge declined to comment.
Zuma admitted that some work was done in preparation for Mashatile’s arrival but said there was nothing sinister about that.
“It is a standard thing (practice) that if there is going to be any government activities, we attend to those areas that are going to be visited.
“If my MEC is going to visit a certain project, we go there ahead of him, and that is the standard, but I don’t think there was a concealment of anything,” said Zuma.
In his visit to the college on May 18, Mashatile was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture Thoko Didiza, her provincial counterpart MEC Super Zuma and Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
Pappas said when he was still a member of the parliament’s Agricultural Portfolio Committee between 2019 and 2021, he and other members of the committee visited the institution only to encounter eyesore conditions.
“There is very limited action that I can take to directly improve what is alleged to be happening there.
“I can, however, raise awareness of the matter with the MEC (for agriculture Super Zuma) and premier (Nomusa Dube-Ncube),” said Pappas.
Zuma said after the department had received complaints about food quality, a catering company was suspended “and the department has sought an interim service provider until the investigation is completed”.
The college had two weeks ago formed a committee to investigate all concerns raised by the students.
Zuma said park homes have been brought in as temporary accommodation arrangements for male students. It has been reported that in the past they had been accommodated in temporary structures where about 80 of them were sharing five bathrooms.
However, female students were not happy about being temporarily moved to Linpark High School in Pietermaritzburg, which is about 20km from the college, as the school had given them stringent rules and it was difficult for them to travel to and from the campus.