Communist Party of Swaziland

22 April 2022:- After suspending students from campus for close to a month now, the management of William Pitcher Teacher Training College, on 19 April 2022, summoned students back to campus to resume lessons on Wednesday 20 April 2022.

The William Pitcher students were suspended from campus after a class boycott that lasted a week. The students demanded that first-year students receive their long overdue allowances and for the canteen services not to be halted. The student body then resolved to boycott classes until their demands were met.

After failing to resolve the matter, the management closed the institution with immediate effect.

The institution’s management has now decided after a month of no learning that the students were fit to resume lessons even though none of their demands have been met. More constraints have been saddled upon the students as the ongoing students have not yet received their end of March allowances.

Students, however, remained resolute and continued to boycott classes from the night of their arrival on campus on 19 April 2022 to date.

It is a murderous act by Mswati’s government on students to shut down refectory services in tertiary institutions, while also absconding on their disbursement of the students’ monthly allowances.

It has become virtually impossible for students to manoeuvre on empty stomachs, let alone be in a position to learn. The situation has now been worsened by the steep hike in the cost of living in the country while salaries and wages remain stagnant.

The CPS calls for wider support and solidarity to William Pitcher students and in all other institutions of higher learning in the country. All efforts must be to end the murderous Mswati regime and its tinkhundla government that continues to ruin the lives of our people.

CPS PRESS SERVICES