UNESWA CLOSED AMID BOYCOTT OVER ALLOWANCES

MBABANE - Following the ongoing class boycott at UNESWA Kwaluseni and Luyengo campuses, the university senate has taken a decision to close the institution with immediate effect.
In a memorandum issued yesterday around 2pm, students from the two campuses were told to vacate the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) premises by 3pm. It is only students from Kwaluseni and Luyengo campuses who were sent home. UNESWA Acting Registrar Lindiwe Nhlabatsi, in a press statement, stated that face-to-face teaching/learning is suspended, indefinitely.  She said now that face-to-face teaching/learning has been suspended, online learning will be revived for all courses where possible. “The Institute for Distance Learning (IDE) and IPGS students should continue with their lectures as scheduled. The 2023/2024 Almanac shall be adjusted,” said Nhlabatsi. She said the university took the decision because students turned violent. She said lessons were ongoing at the Mbabane Campus.

discussed

It has been gathered that students from both Kwaluseni and Luyengo campuses assembled at the Kwaluseni Campus on Tuesday, for a meeting where they discussed a way forward regarding delays in allowances disbursement. From that meeting, the students decided to stop attending classes. Before the students were asked to vacate the university premises, UNESWA Chief Electoral Officer (EO) Sibusiso Gwebu first gave clarity on the decision to abandon classes. He said it was a collective decision.“Indlala ivusana lulaka, (hunger makes one violent). We understand what the minister said last week, while giving an update on allowances.

However, students raised concerns about going to class on empty stomachs. It is not easy to concentrate in class on an empty stomach,” said Gwebu. He said it has been months since students last received their allowances. The EO refuted the assumptions that they were picketing. It was brought to his attention how the ministry pleaded for their patience, while working to disburse their allowances. He said students insisted on not going to class until they got their allowances.

balances

UNESWA said most government-sponsored students with outstanding balances, are the main cause of the delay in the submission of invoices to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for the disbursement of allowances on time. Meanwile, Nhlabatsi said the students had the perception that the institution submits the invoices very late. She said as a result, the students wrote to the management, asking for evidence indicating that they had submitted the invoices on time. “We informed them that we could not furnish them with the information they wanted, since it carried others’ confidential information. “Those invoices contain names and money attached to them. “We told them that it is impossible for them to get the financial statements, which contain confidential information. “They must trust us when we say invoices have been submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on time,” she said.

The class boycott at UNESWA became violent as some students started breaking doors, disrupting classes, closing the main gate and also assaulting others for not joining the march, according to some students who engaged in the class boycott on Monday. The students proceeded with their march yesterday around 2am. During that time, the students are reported to have been going around students’ residential areas, waking up their colleagues by banging their door osts. It has been gathered that one of the doors was vandalised. One of the students informed this publication that the situation became worse yesterday morning, when some of the students were found in class despite their collective agreement of not going to class until they received their personal allowances.

violent

The student said they had to run for their lives as some of them became violent. “Students at the library and classrooms were beaten by the others for not being part of the protest,” said the student. The aggrieved student stated that the university first warned them about the illegal class boycott. He said two memorandums were issued before the last one informing them to vacate the premises was issued. “As we tried moving out of the institution as per the memo, some of the marchers tried to stop us from leaving. They then went further and blocked the main gate. We were beaten on our heads. We had to use another gate next to the IDE Department,” said the student. On the other hand, UNESWA Chief Electoral Officer (EO), o Gwebu, could neither confirm nor deny the allegation that a door was broken as some students were assaulted. Gwebu said he attended several meetings, which made it hard for him to know what was happening on the ground.

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