A FEELING of despair was visible on the faces of hundreds of young people as they spoke about the pain of waiting for two weeks in a long queue hoping to be admitted at the Durban University of Technology as first-year students.
Most of them, some accompanied by parents, complained about being kept in the dark about whether they would be admitted after being placed on a waiting list.
While they were waiting, the EFF Youth Command was protesting in commemoration of Mlungisi Madonsela, a student activist who was fatally shot inside the campus allegedly by the university’s contracted security guards five years ago.
They used the commemoration to demand the admission of the young people.
Madonsela and his comrades were protesting to demand the admission of all qualifying students and free education when he was killed during a confrontation with campus security on February 5, 2019.
Some parents had to take leave from work to assist their children to secure space at the university.
Most of the desperate people spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity as they feared that being identified in the media would further harm their chances of admission.
“I applied in June last year and towards the end of the year, I was told that I had been placed on the waiting list.
“I have been waking up every day for the past two weeks to stand in the queue because I want to know if I have been admitted, but my hopes are fading away because the registration is closing on Friday (February 7),” said a young woman from Eshowe, whose passion is to study toward a diploma in management science.
DUT is yet to respond to questions sent to it, and the story will be updated as soon as the response comes.
Another one from Ladysmith was contemplating giving up as she felt that she would not be admitted before Friday’s deadline.
“Classes are starting on Monday. I applied in the middle of last year for a diploma in management science and public relations, and I was told about being on standby in November, and later told that both programmes are full even though I meet all the requirements.
“I have lost hope because this is my second week standing in the queue and I am very hurt and disappointed,” she said.
Thembisa Phoswa, from Highflats on the south coast, who completed her second year in analytical chemistry last year, considers herself a dropout because of financial problems.
For the past two years, she had been paying for her study, accommodation, transport, and meals with money her unemployed single mother raised with Good Samaritan relatives.
“That money has run dry and I am still owing R4 000 since the institution says I should pay 10% of the R24 000 outstanding fees.
“But the bigger problem is that NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme) has unfairly rejected me twice.
“They first said my parents earned more than R350 000 per annum whereas my father died years ago while my mother is unemployed.
“My two appeals have been declined, but I am going to appeal again,” she said.
Student bodies affiliated with ANC, Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the EFF were active at the entrance trying to help the desperate young people to be admitted. They said the application and admission system was complicated.
“It is the system that causes problems as those who applied first get rejected by the system despite meeting the requirements, while those who applied later get accepted,” said Thobeka Sibetha, who represented the EFF Youth Command.
MKP Student Movement’s Sbani Managara blamed the institution for prioritising self-paying students over those who depend on NSFAS.
He said while students wait for NSFAS to approve the application “which takes longer, the institution would replace them with those who are self-funded, which is unfair that those who are rich are more privileged them us“.
A university official, who is familiar with admission but who is not allowed to speak to the media, said the institution was already preparing to start lessons.
He said the university, which has about 9 500 spaces for new students, would reject many applicants because there were fewer spaces than applications.
“They are currently waiting to see if they are meeting the numbers, and if they are not, some of those on the waiting list will be admitted.
“There are possibilities that those who have already been accepted go to other institutions,” he said.
The official said those, like Phoswa, who have problems with NSFAS, should approach the Student Finance Department, which is responsible for putting pressure on NSFAS to fast-track approving the applications.