On 22 November 2022, employees at Coastal TVET College launched another strike as part of protest actions that have been ongoing over a number of months during the academic year. These protests come as retaliation against salary disputes that have caused the workers to suffer financially.
According to the employees, for the last few months some of them have received late salary payments, whilst others have only received half of their salary payments for a full salary’s worth of work. As a result of this, the employees have kept up ongoing protests in demand for intervention from the Department of Higher Education.
It was only a few months ago that the head of the college had been fired by Minister Blade Nzimande, after he received pressure to do so from staff and teachers’ unions. However, it seems that since then, not much has changed.
Students at the college have also spoken out about their experiences at the institution, and how the protests have affected their ability to perform. In an interview conducted by eNCA, a Students’ Representative Council (SRC) member expressed his dismay at the college conditions that have plagued students for many months now.
He shared that for students living in residences, some days there would be no food for them to eat as service providers had not been paid. As a result, he mentions that students have had to go out looking for food donations.
Furthermore, he mentions that sometimes there is no water for students, and that toilets have been left in bad condition. When questioned about how students have ended up in this predicament, he shares that all that they have been told by higher-ups is that there is no money.
Another student also shared similar concerns, but with greater focus on students’ ability to pass the academic year. He mentions that it has been a struggle for students to learn all year, saying that every time they have tried, they have been disrupted by strikes.
“We are failing to learn, so we are just hoping to get good results”. Protest action remains ongoing as matters go unresolved.