PRIVATE STUDENTS RAISE CONCERNS OVER POOR LIVING CONDITIONS 

Akhona Maphumulo

@akhonamaphumulo9

 

Students at the North West University (NWU) Potchefstroom campus raised concerns about the living conditions in some of the private accommodations, saying it negatively affected their academic performance and well-being.

 

This issue is not unique to NWU. According to Inside Education, student accommodation shortages across South Africa continue to affect thousands of students and limit access to safe and affordable housing. The publication also reported that high accommodation costs limit space and place additional pressure on students, often affecting their academic performance and well-being. 

 

Several students shared their frustrations on social media, claiming that the conditions made it difficult to live and study comfortably. According to students, some accommodation facilities are outdated and poorly maintained. They reported issues such as uncomfortable beds, broken charging plugs, faulty light bulbs, and leaking ceiling boards during rainy weather. Certain students also raised concerns about shared spaces, describing them as unhygienic and poorly maintained. These included overflowing bins, dirty passages, and neglected yards. Some residents experienced electricity problems, which sometimes left them unable to cook, shower, or properly light their rooms. 

 

Internet connectivity was also identified as a major concern. Students said the Wi-Fi connection was often unreliable and that it sometimes took a long time to be restored when it stopped working. Colile Maliba, a third-year consumer science student in food production management, said the living conditions in her accommodation were not suitable for the students. She explained that the Wi-Fi connection was unstable, making it difficult to attend online classes. She said, “They were going to fix it last year, which is why I came back this year, but nothing has changed. We receive small units of electricity and have to load it ourselves, but it is not enough to last the whole month. When we communicated this to the landlord, she said we are careless and use the units irresponsibly.”

 

Mbali Duma, a second-year BA communication student, further stated that her experience living in off-campus accommodation was also extremely difficult. “If I could describe my experience in one word, it would be hell. Besides the blunt racism we experienced from our agents, we had power outages due to old appliances,” she said. In addition, she stated that students would leave the gate open around 2 am, and there was once an attempted break-in. She explained that because of this, she was always tired in class due to lack of sleep. “I remember I had insomnia because I was scared someone might break in when the electric gate was not working.”

 

Improving maintenance, internet connectivity, and safety measures could help create a better living environment and support students’ academic success. 

 

Old furniture with mold in private accommodations (Source: Facebook). 

 

Edited by Isabel Burgers