William Pitcher college closes amidst prolonged student protests
By Thokozani Mazibuko
William Pitcher College has been shut down with immediate effect following a prolonged protest over what students described as unfavourable learning conditions.
The students staged the protest since last week Monday when the institution of higher learning reopened for the resumption of face-to-face leaning.
However, instead of resuming with their studies, the students, according to William Pitcher Electoral Officer (EO) Thokozani Mbhamali, engaged in a non-violent protest.
He mentioned that as the week progressed, however, the protest gained momentum and became violent.
He said as the protest intensified, the students began to ignite some fires while others damaged college property, emptying litter all over the school premises in the process in an effort to voice out their grievances.
He said the students, who were carrying placards, calling for the closure of the university, did this while singing and dancing the famous toyi-toyi dance.
He pointed out that the students were protesting over a litany of issues, which according to them rendered their learning environment non-conducive.
Mbhamali, who alleged that most of the issues that the students were complaining about remained unresolved since the last academic year,
mentioned that the dormitories within the hostel were divided in accordance with the country’s four regions namely; Manzini, Lubombo, Shiselweni and Hhohho and a fifth one known as the New Hostel.
The students, according to Mbhamali, were complaining that some of the toilets in some sections of the hostel were allegedly malfunctioning.
He made an example that all the toiles at the Lubombo section were not working and as a result, they were closed.
Mbhamali said this then compelled the students, who stay in that section to travel long distances at night to other block of toilets situated in some sections of the hostel,
whenever they wanted to answer the call of nature, something which compromised their safety, since there were no security guards to ensure that they arrived safely to and from the ablutions.
He mentioned that another grievance that the students had; resulting in them staging the protest, was that at the hostel, they were allegedly forced to take showers using cold water due to non-working geysers.
Mbhamali stated that the students also complained that the WIFI at the college was allegedly malfunctioning and this resulted in them not being able to learn smoothly as they could not effectively conduct their research.
The students’ violent protest resulted in the Principal of the College, Ntombifuthi Mhlongo, issuing a memorandum on Tuesday morning, suspending face-to-face learning with immediate effect until further notice.
“Following the on-going class boycotts, burning and vandalising of college property, thus threatening the safety of other students and staff, all students are hereby informed that all face-to-face lessons are suspended with immediate effect,” read the memorandum in part.
Mhlongo stated that all lessons shall continue online.
Through the memorandum, all the students were ordered to vacate the college by 10.00 am yesterday.
“All academic work and assessments shall continue as scheduled. The almanac shall not be adjusted,” the memorandum further read.
