Question NW1909 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
03 September 2021 - NW1909
King, Ms C to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
(1)(a) Which institutions of higher learning were vandalised during the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng from 9 to 18 July 2021 and (b) what total number of students at student accommodation facilities were assisted with food and counselling at each institution;
Reply:
(1) (a) Mostuniversitieswerenotaffected,aslearning activitieswereconducted onlineduetoLockdownLevel4andonlyasmallnumberofstudentshadreturnedto campusesand residences.Thesestudents wereidentifiedbyuniversities and allowed tobeoncampuses during this period forvarious reasons. Theuniversities, including MangosuthuUniversityofTechnology,inKwaZulu-Natal developedmulti- prongedplanstoavertthevandalism ofpropertyfrominternal andexternalthreats during the unrest. These plans were well implemented, as no acts of vandalism occurred within universities.
The University of Witwatersrand (Wits) reported that the HVTN clinic in Kliptown on the first floor of Walter Sisulu Square was vandalised. All electronic goods were stolen, as well as various other items, including medical equipment (stethoscopes,oximeters,bloodpressuremachines andaninfraredthermometer). TheWitsHealthConsortium syndicatesandsitesbasedinHillbrowandsurrounds wereaffectedandsufferedsomelosses.TheHealthConsortiumSyndicatesincludes the Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Unit, Perinatal HIV Research Unit, WitsReproductiveHealthandHIVInstitute, andtheClinicalHIVResearchUnit. Emergency repairs were made to enable the clinic and sites to commence with operations.
TheKwa-MashuSamsungCentreoftheCoastalTVETCollegeandIsithebe Campus of Umfolozi TVET College were vandalised.
(b) Alluniversitieshavecounsellingprogrammesinplacetoassiststudentsand staff members who need counselling services.
In addition, Higher Health, which is a national agency of the Department of Higher Education and Training dedicated to student and staff wellbeing, has established a 24-hour toll-free helpline offering help in 11 official languages. The service provides free telephone or SMS counselling, crisis intervention and support and referrals to mental health professionals and other psycho-social resources available to students and staff across all university and TVET college campuses.
From thereportsreceived bytheDepartment, therewerenostudentswho needed food assistance as a result of the impact of vandalism. However, many universities do assist students through existing food bank programmes
(2) TheDepartmentofHigherEducationandTrainingcontactedtheuniversities in these provinces to establish whether they were affected by any vandalism and looting that happened from 9 to 18 July 2021.
AtTVET colleges,a Principals’meetingwascalledaftertheunrest.Each Principal gave a full report of what transpired during the unrest. The Principal of Elangeni TVETCollege reportedthattheInandaCampuscomputerswerelootedand allthecomputerswererecoveredbytheSouthAfricanPoliceServices.ThePrincipal of Elangeni TVET College was notified beforehand that looters were going to vandalize theKwa-MashuCampus,securitywasbeefedupandlooterswereunable toenterthepremises.MostofthecollegeswerenotvandalisedascollegePrincipals had decided to increase the security in all their campuses.