Students at Wits Junction are calling for their maintenance issues to be fixed  

Scholars at a Wits resident are complaining about the upkeep of their building  

The All-Residence Sub Council (ARSC) — a representative body for all Wits residences — has called for the Property Infrastructure and Management Division (PIMD) — which manages campus residences and the whole university — to act swiftly in fixing maintenance issues at Wits Junction – one of the most expensive residences on campus.

Its been three months since Junction residents have been complaining about the lack of hot water, which is caused by the water heating system that is not working correctly, forcing students to take cold showers. Students have also complained about Wi-Fi connectivity issues, which have been compounded by the rolling blackouts.  

Students have been complaining about these issues since the first term of 2023, but their laments have fallen on deaf ears. Thembinkosi Dhlamini a third-year electrical engineering student at Wits Junction said, “there’s usually no water from 06:00 to 07:30 am every day. I have reported it to the maintenance, but nothing has changed till today”. 

The ARSC has expressed their dissatisfaction with PIMD’s lack of urgency in addressing these issues that students find themselves in, even after they repeatedly promised to bring results, but have not done so till today.  

On May 3, at 18:00, a meeting was held with residents and Wits information and communication technologies desk, which is in charge of the Wi-Fi and PIMD were expected to attend to give students clarity and an action plan of solving these maintenance issues. However, they did not attend the meeting even after confirming attendance.  

At the meeting, the director of campus housing and residence life Basil Mugwenya said that he will also investigate the issues raised by students himself and engage with the dean of residences regarding maintenance in residences.  He said he will then hold a meeting with the service providers and they will work to resolve the issues. 

However, Kabo Mosiane, ARSC chairperson told Wits Vuvuzela that they are awaiting communication regarding the date that the meeting will be held and will push for it to happen.  

Wits Vuvuzela reached out to PIMD for comment, however, they did not respond. On the day of publishing, the issues were still not fixed.  

FEATURED IMAGE: The PIMD building on the East Campus of Wits University. Photo: Lesedi Maako

RELATED ARTICLES: