THE MERCURY
The Downtown Hotel in Durbans Point area is accommodating University of KwaZulu-Natal students left without shelter after a mix-up with their accommodation arrangements. Photo: Sandile Makgoba
KwaZulu-Natal – Hundreds of University of KwaZulu-Natal students spent the night on the pavement outside Durban’s Royal Hotel on Friday, with their belongings, after a botch-up with their accommodation arrangements.
The students, who number more than 500, had been staying in the Coastlands Hotel in Pixley ka Seme (West) Street, paid for by UKZN because of problems in residences, but had to check out to make way for a long-standing booking of ANC local government leaders in town for a summit.
On Sunday night, some of the group had resigned themselves to another night at the Downtown Hotel in the Point area – the hotel at which uMhlanga doctor Genchen Rugnath and his wife, Ravina, are alleged to have run a brothel.
Others were accommodated elsewhere.
Students told The Mercury that they were informed of their imminent relocation by the Coastlands Hotel staff only when they returned from Friday afternoon lectures – leaving them with little time to pack up their groceries, clothes, books and laptops.
But when they got off the buses at about 8pm at the Royal Hotel, the alternative lodgings the university said it had arranged for them, they were turned away.
Those fortunate enough to have relatives in Durban were picked up by their families.
In the early hours, some were taken to the Downtown Hotel, where up to 10 students occupied a single room. “Angry” and “frustrated”, they said they didn’t know what to do.
The Mercury visited the hotel on Sunday and saw that some of the toilets were blocked, used condoms lay under a bed, and television were showing pornography.
“We don’t feel safe here. This place has prostitutes and drunk people coming in and out,” one student said.
Sibusiso Chalufu, the executive director of student services at UKZN, said the university was “disappointed” because its student residence affairs department had secured an undertaking from the Royal Hotel that all students would be accommodated.
Chalufu said student residence affairs department staff and members of the student representative council stayed with the stranded students “throughout the ordeal” and every effort was made to find alternative accommodation.
“Any inconvenience on the part of our students and parents is deeply regretted,” Chalufu said.
Some of the senior students, who moved into the Coastlands Hotel at the beginning of this year, said they had expected to be moved to dedicated UKZN accommodation after two weeks.
When The Mercury phoned the Coastlands Hotel to speak to the general manager, he was “unavailable”. A receptionist said rumours that students had been kicked out to make way for ANC delegates were untrue.
“The arrangement with UKZN had come to an end – that is why the students were asked to vacate.”
The manager on duty at the Royal Hotel referred queries to its owner. A receptionist said the owner was in Swaziland and had left no forwarding phone number.
The Mercury
