Members of an all-girls residence at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Tygerberg campus recently held a sit-in in an attempt to halt the construction of a new parking lot on that campus.
The protest took place on a piece of lawn known as “Francie Grass” next to Huis Francie van Zijl, on 10 and 11 March. This was according to Caitlin Sithole, primaria of Huis Francie van Zijl.
The new parking lot is being constructed in part on the above lawn, and on existing tennis courts nearby.
The construction is “part of the bigger BMRI [Biomedical Research Institute] and Tygerberg campus renewal plan,” said Japie Engelbrecht, director of project management at SU’s facilities management division. “This development was planned and finalised in 2018 already,” he said.
“Construction [of the parking lot] commenced on 7 March 2022 and our projected completion date is 31 August 2022,” he stated.
Students claim lack of communication
However, Sithole claimed that leadership and students of the residence were not notified of the details of the construction. Sithole said that she, in her capacity as primaria, “received an unofficial message via WhatsApp from the TPC [Tygerberg prim committee] chairperson on 03/03/2022 stating that the tennis courts would be converted into parking, but no mention was made of the extension of the parking lot onto Francie Grass”.
According to Engelbrecht, construction notifications were sent to the “designated representatives of the faculty, transport services, SUNCOM [Stellenbosch University Commercial Services], facilities services and Maties Sport on 15 February 2022 and 2 March 2022”.
Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Huis Francie van Zijl residence is located at its Tygerberg campus. SU’s new parking lot is being built outside of the residence where an area of grass once was. PHOTO: Instagram/Huis Francie van Zijl
“We really hoped that we could stop them from removing the grass and changing it to parking because it is a place where socials are held, where people picnic, where birthday parties are held,” said an anonymous resident of Huis Francie van Zijl.
Sithole echoed this sentiment and added that the loss of the grass area will require the residence to find a new emergency assembly point. Sithole stated that they were awaiting feedback from the relevant parties at SU following the sit-in but that “a meeting has yet to be finalised”.
The residents of Huis Francie van Zijl held a sit-in on 10 and 11 March in protest against the construction of a new parking lot on Stellenbosch University’s Tygerberg campus. The parking lot will be built on “Francie Grass”, an area of grass outside the residence. This area was previously used as a recreational space and an emergency assembly point for the residence. This is according to Caitlin Sithole, primaria of Huis Francie van Zijl. PHOTO: Supplied/Caitlin Sithole
Stellenbosch University has removed the grass area outside its Huis Francie van Zijl residence and the tennis courts on its Tygerberg campus. The space will be used for a parking lot, according to Japie Engelbrecht, director of project management at SU’s facilities management division. PHOTO: Supplied/Caitlin Sithole
Alternatives considered
Engelbrecht stated that the university was informed of the student sit-in protest and has attempted to mitigate the complaints.
While the parking lot construction will not stop, he stated that some accommodations will be made.
According to Engelbrecht, the tennis courts are being turned into multi-functional facilities. To address the students’ dissatisfaction, the university is considering “various alternative parking space construction options”.
One of the options they are considering is to construct a portion of the parking to be multi-functional, “either with instant lawn or with a permeable grass-fix system which will accommodate the required parking, but will enable students to utilise the grass area after hours”, stated Engelbrecht.
An overview of the timeline of events related to Stellenbosch University’s construction of a new parking lot on its Tygerberg campus. GRAPHIC: Tamia Retief