By OBAKENG MAJE
3 April 2025- Torture, victimisation, intimidation and sexual advances towards students are some of allegations levelled against the Taung Agricultural College management and lecturers during a heartbreaking meeting with the North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha on Wednesday.
Students alleged that some lecturers and college employees have subjected them to emotional, physical and psychological abuse and when they raise these challenges they are persecuted. One of the victims of bullying at the college, Remofilwe Mooketsi, said she was allegedly bullied and reported it to the management but nothing was done.
“I nearly committed suicide because the person who bullied me was protected by the college management. I reported this matter to Mr Malala, who laughed at me and asked what he must do.
“It is sad because even one of my friends was hospitalised due to depression endured from the college management. We hope Sambatha will address all our challenges, including water shortages,” she said.
The college Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Obakeng Modise said the hostels are in a dire situation. Modise said the ablution facilities are not in good condition and there is also a lack of tissues.
“The walls are peeling off, doors are broken and the drainage system is not properly working. There are allegations that some lecturers are making sexual advances to students and when they are rejected they threaten to make them suffer academically.
“There is only one working washing machine for 156 students. There is also no hot water because the geysers are not working. During the rainy season, the hostels are flooding,” he said.
Modise also alleged that, college employee, Vuyisiwe Mziwakhe would call their parents and snitch on them when they embarked on strike.
Mziwakhe was also accused of taking bribes from students and requesting them to buy her vouchers.
The North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha said everything that students raised as a problem, must be attended to. Sambatha said nobody has a right to call parents of students to intimidate them simply because they are protesting.
“When we resolve challenges, at the point of our resolution components dealing with speciality, the college must never be allowed to go down as an institution. They must focus on these elements that are clustered under abuse.
“Either is a psychological, verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. All these components are going to be investigated properly. I will appoint an investigator because I want to go deeper and get the facts unravelled,” he said.
Sambatha further said he will then decide what actions he takes against perpetrators. He added that they cannot have students admitted in a college and lecturers see them as potential girlfriends.
“If they are attracted to them, they must talk to them, but if they are rejected, they must not use their positions to abuse students. We will never allow that to happen. From today, those who spoke out will not be intimidated or persecuted.
“I want to see if the management will continue to torture them. After investigation, students will still be protected from the abuse of management and I am going to ensure that,” said Sambatha.
He said the student representatives and college management must categorise the interventions accordingly and there should be a revitalisation of infrastructure in both Potchefstroom and Taung Agricultural Colleges. Sambatha said there is no budget allocated for college infrastructure from the North West Provincial Government, but only a grant from the national government.
“The challenge of a grant is that it keeps on reducing. I want both colleges to have enterprise development components, production and sale so that they can generate revenue.
“That money should not go to the provincial reserves, but to the improvement of the sale of infrastructure in the colleges,” said Sambatha.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Member of Provincial Parliament (MPL), Justice Dabampe said: “The issues that were raised today show that the government is unable to take care of its people, worse its future leaders. The government is unable to address all the infrastructural problems and the management behaviour towards students.
“These complaints were raised a few years ago. So, there will fully a blown investigations regarding sexual harassment, abuse of students by management allegations.”
Dabampe said the outcome of the investigations should reveal the rot that is already there and actions should be taken against perpetrators. He said what concerns them is that students are still bathing with cold water because geysers are not working.
“Actually, the infrastructure at the college has collapsed. On Monday, we expect an action plan from college management, department and student representatives. We are hopeful that all these challenges will be addressed within three months.
“The North West Department of Public Works and Roads is also coming on board to address serious sewerage and drainage systems challenges,” said Dabampe.
The ANCYL Regional Task Team member in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region, Poloko Totong said the students contacted them regarding their challenges at the college that date back to five years. Totong said five years ago, they also engaged the former North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Desbo Mohono, with the very same issues such as water shortages, shortage of resources for practical purposes.
“You will find that students are studying dairy, but there are no dairy cows at the college. They are also studying poultry, but there are no chickens at the college.
“So, those are burning issues that need to be addressed accordingly. What is very disappointing is that Mohono who is an ANC member did not address these issues, but we hope that the current MEC, Madoda Sambatha will do that,” he said.
Totong said Sambatha has made commitments and they will hold him accountable to that. He said there is victimisation, intimidation and there are cases that the students have reported against college management.
“According to the students, there are voice recordings where college management and lecturers ill-treat them. So, as ANCYL, we are going to make follow ups,” he said.
The Guardian 