The WSU Mthatha campus Student Representative Council held a food parcel roll out, more especially, to financially disadvantaged and unfunded registered students.

Within the WSU student community, there are bursary funded students and those who are not funded and rely on family assistance to help cover student needs.

This initiative which took place on Wednesday, 17 August 2022, was aimed at identifying those unfunded students and providing them with food parcels to help bridge the financial gap.

Mthatha Student Representative Council Premier, Wandile Papani said, “Students face many challenges in trying to survive and provide for their student needs. Some of these students come from disadvantaged backgrounds which makes it difficult to afford most of their needs. SRC therefore saw the need to intervene and help students.”

He added that “In most cases students resort to extreme measures in attempts to generate income and accommodate their student needs which is another reason for SRC intervention”.

In attempts to eradicate hunger amongst its fellow students, SRC provided food parcels amounting to 250 to identified unfunded students.

Senior Student Development Practitioner, Nobuntu Rabaza said “Many our students visit our offices to come share their grievances and a majority of the time these are financial grievances. As a result of these grievances, some of them end up not coping well with their studies which is the primary concern of student development”.

In promotion of access and excellence, the student governance unit together with the SRC has taken responsibility to assist where possible to try help students continue with their studies.

The project organiser, Phumla Prudence Nikani said, “We recognised that there are students who suffer in poverty and as a unit together with the SRC we have dedicated ourselves in challenging that problem in any possible way, this food parcel project is one of the solutions we have for our students”.

By Hlomla Mpetsheni