By OBAKENG MAJE
27 October 2025- Defiant students at Taung Agricultural College said they will forge ahead with their protest until the North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi heeds their call. Last week, the students embarked on a protest expressing dissatisfaction against the college management.
On Friday, the protest turned violent, where the police allegedly shot at the students with rubber bullets after accusing them of pelting them with stones. The mayhem prompted the North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha to meet with the students on Sunday afternoon.
However, that meeting allegedly ended up abruptly as students accused Sambatha of taking the side of the college management.
The Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Obakeng Modise said the situation is dynamic and there is a continuation of the protest. Modise said this is due to unresolved issues such as sexual harassment, dilapidating hostels, lack of water, lack of internet connection among others.
“There are male lecturers who make sexual advances to female students and victimise them when rejected. We have submitted the report on that matter, but there is no response thus far. Our hostels are in a dire situation, but the management has done nothing. There is no provision of water and we have only one washing machine, which makes it difficult for students to do their laundry.
“Sometimes we experience load-shedding only at our hostels, whereas the administration has electricity. So far, the only thing that the management has attended to is fixing the generator. In winter, students are being forced to bathe with cold water and we are not going to allow a situation where we are subjected to inhumane treatment,” he said.
Modise further said there is a Student Affairs Manager who continues to body shame female students and nothing was done to her even though several complaints were submitted to the management against her. He added that all these matters were raised three months ago during a meeting with Sambatha.
Meanwhile, the North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Madoda Sambatha said even though there is a progress on some issues raised, he admitted that the college management has failed the students on the issue of sexual harassment.
“The college management has an updated report on the issues that were raised in the previous meeting. However, the students alleged that they were not informed about it, until our meeting with them yesterday. So, it is clear that there is a trust deficit between the SRC and college management.
“When I was here, there was a sexual abuse issue that was raised. So, we agreed that those who were sexually harassed should write their grievances and send them through an email that I provided them with. I want them to write to me directly in order to avoid reprisal,” he said.
Sambatha said this will assist his department to generate an approach on how to deal with this matter. He said they will be able to identify those lecturers who are accused of sexual harassment.
“I have not received a report from the management generated from this matter. The students have submitted their report, yet the management is sitting on that report, while the abuse still continues. So, I requested affected students to write emails directly to me.
“I will be having a virtual meeting with the college management on Monday to get to the bottom of this. The students also feel that the Student Affairs Manager is powerful because she allegedly continues to victimise them and nothing has been done to her,” said Sambatha.
The Guardian 