KOKETSO DLONGOLO
The feeding scheme programme headed by the Dean of Students, Professor Speckman, has been suspended due to a lack of funds. The programme, which falls under the Right to Learn Campaign, a campaign that helps students with social issues hindering their education, aims to assist underprivileged students on campus with meals that are served for free.
According to Katlego Malatji, Secretary General of the SRC, the feeding scheme faces its current situation because Prof. Speckman had to use money budgeted and reserved for the feeding scheme to provide accommodation for members of SASCO at Umzoxolo guest house at the beginning of the year. But Sedupe Ramokgopa, SASCO Chairperson, said, “The SRC blaming us is pure electioning [sic], because it’s election time. It is the SRC that messed up the whole budget with their Hot Spot Campaign. Because of them, the university’s budget towards campus societies had to stretched.”
In response to this accusation Malatji said that the SRC used their own budget to sponsor their Hot Spot Campaign.
The guesthouse was used to accommodate students who had not been admitted to res during the registration period at the beginning of the year. SASCO used the private accommodation at the expense of the university for these students for approximately 20 days. Every year each society on campus is given a budget out of which the society has to manage accommodation and meals for its members. If the society requires monetary provision for other resources, it is that society’s responsibility to attain such. In the case of SASCO, the Umzoxolo private accommodation was given to students who were still waiting to get into res and had nowhere else to go. University management said that “from time to time, student associations approach UP management for financial support outside of allocated budgets. In general, it is expected of associations to make ends meet within their allocated budgets.”
Prof. Speckman approached the SRC for help with funds for the feeding scheme. SRC chairperson Charl Oberholzer, said, “An executive decision on principle has been made to help the students who benefit from the programme. The amount is still to be determined.”
Photo: Desré Barnard
