The Mpumalanga police had to open doors for students of the Mapulaneng TVET college to sleep at the institution's premises after they were chased away from private residence due to an alleged nonpayment of their accommodation allowance by National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

Since last week students who have been chased out from their private residential area for failing to pay for the last three months have been sleeping at the Acornhoek police station in Bushbuckridge and local high schools had to open their doors too.

According to secretary of SASCO in the Mapulaneng campus, Suzan Mbazima told Sowetan that for the past three months they haven’t got money to pay for private resident of students hence the mass evictions by landlords.

“Yes we sleeping here at the police station, we try by all means to find a safe place to sleep like the police station. We are in this situation because we haven’t got our money to pay private residence for the past three months.

"Landlords last week decided o chase students out and for our safety now we thank the police who opened their doors but we are upset with the college and other authorities who should make sure our money is paid on time,” said Mbazima.

Spokesman of the Mpumalanga police colonel Mtsholi Bhembe Said they had no choice but to accommodate the students.

“Remember part of our work is also to combat any chance for crime and having those students begging to sleep at the police station we had no choice and we couldn’t let them sleep in the streets,” Said Bhembe.