LUCT SRC president loses DTEF sponsorship

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Wednesday June 12, 2013 00:00

In a letter dated May 17, 2013, signed by Flyod Gaepongwe, the DTEF states that they terminate his sponsorship with immediate effect due to his misconduct. Pitwane is currently serving a one-year suspension from the university following unrest on campus due to an ongoing dispute between students and management over the on-campus bookstore and book allowances.In the letter, the DTEF states that his suspension from school constitutes a breach of the sponsorship contract he signed with the government.

'Your attention is drawn to Section 12(g) [of the contract], which among others states that 'the government may at any time terminate sponsorship if (g) the student is involved in any matters of misconduct which includes, but is not limited to unacceptable behaviour as determined by the government. Due to misconduct your sponsorship is terminated with immediate effect,' the letter reads.

However, DTEF director Marcos Maedza told Mmegi that the sponsorship was terminated because Pitwane is no longer a student.'The contract that government has with any student remains valid only when such remains a student.If for any reason the sponsor receives informations such is no longer a student, the sponsorship ceases,' Maedza responded in a text. Regional Director for Corporate Industry and Media Relations for LUCT Mercy Thebe confirmed yesterday that Pitwane is still a student at their university.

The termination of his sponsorship is the final nail in the coffin following months of wrangling between students, led by Pitwane and school management.Pitwane, alongside other students, was suspended in April following students' boycotts of the on-campus bookstore.Three weeks ago, Pitwane, along with 12 other students, was arrested following another disturbance at the school.

He faces a charge of criminal trespassing, after LUCT accused him of unlawfully entering the school campus without the authority of the school management while still under suspension.The other students have been charged with rioting, and are alleged to have unlawfully assembled at LUCT campus and thrown stones at the police who went to disperse them.

At the height of the fracas earlier this year, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MOESD) Grace Muzila told boycotting students to return to classes or face the termination of their government sponsorship. In a strongly-worded press release, Muzila continued: 'Any student found to instigate class boycott, threatening other students or engaging in any conduct that may be interpreted as influence to other students not to attend classes will have their sponsorship withdrawn.'