DASO Nelson Mandela University

For Immediate Release
05 September 2024
RE: Noodles Distribution

Today we continued distributing Noodles donated by Spar in summerstrand for Students who haven’t received their Allowances at Ebenezer, Castle house and Laboria Student accommodation.

We will continue to source more resources from different stakeholders to assist defunded,unfunded and students without allowances.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional committee

For Immediate Release
05 September 2024
RE: DASO Elective Meeting

We will be having Elective Meeting this coming Friday to elect our SRC candidates who will be contesting for DASO in the upcoming SRC elections.

We invite all democrats, DASO lovers,students and Ground Forces to join us.

The details of the elective meeting are as follows:

Date: Friday 6 September 2024
Venue: Building 35 room 1
Time: 18:00




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional committee

For Immediate Release
03 September 2024
RE: Outstanding Allowances, Defunded Students and Verified Students

Today after closing down financial aid we met with the Senior Manager of Student account Mr Mandla, Senior Manager of Finacial aid Mr Mtwecu, Senior Manager of Finacial Aid Mr Muller, SGD Mr Mpepho.

We engaged with them about the issues our students are facing during our engagement we noted that most the students who have not received their allowance it’s students who are defunded and they were not notified by the Institution neither NSFAS.

We requested that those students who are being verified by NSFAS must receive their allowances and those that are defunded must be notified about the defunding and they must be given an opportunity to appeal this decision.

We advise the student that did not receive their transport allowances to email Mr Mtwecu ([email protected]) and state where they stay and which Transport allowance have they not received.

Furthermore the EFFSC SRC knew about the issues that the student are currently facing and they agreed with terms that the Management has brought upon to and those terms are disadvantaging our poor and marginalised students.

The list of defunded students is submitted toDeputy Chief Whip of DA Baxolile Nodada and Deputy minister of higher education Dr Mimmy Gondwe. Her NSFAS help desk team will screen everyone and give reasons why they are defunded, we requested the DP Minister to advocate for appeal process to open for all the defunded students.

We will not rest until students receive what’s due to them




Yours in struggle
DASO NMU Institutional committee

For Immediate release
03 September 2024
RE: Update on the Outstanding Allowances

We went to financial aid with all the affected students and met with Mr Mpepo and The HOD of UADS Dr Delubom to engage about the students issues. They tried to Contact Mr Mtwecu apparently he ran. The outcome solution was that his Senior Manager Mr Mandla is currently in a meeting with the Management about the Outstanding allowances.

Currently we are at Main Building waiting for that Meeting to finish we will wait here until they come.

Mr Mpepo tried to call the EFFSC SRC President Yiva Makrwede he came and the student showed that they are fed up about this Useless EFFSC SRC.

We call upon all affected students to come join us Main Building.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU institutional Commette

All students and ground forces must convene at financial aid ingathi Ikhona into eshushu

For Immediate Release
02 September 2024
RE: Occupy Financial Aid

Tomorrow we call upon all affected students: Unfunded Students, Defunded Students and Students with Outstanding Allowances to join us at Financial Aid at 09:00.

We demand the release of Allowances for students who are being verified and Defunded by NSFAS without Valid Reasons.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
02 September 2024
RE: DASO NSFAS Clinic Mass Meeting and Noodles Pack distribution

Today we had the DASO NSFAS Clinic Mass Meeting, during the meeting we have collected a list of 200 Affected students and submitted it to the Deputy Minister of Higher Education which are

Defunded students
Appeals
Outstanding allowances
Unfunded students

Furthermore we are calling for Financial Aid to allocate allowances to all the students who are still being verified by NSFAS and all defunded students must receive meal a day via intelli. All students and Ground Forces must meet us at Financial aid Tommorrow at 08:30.

Additionally we distributed Noodle Packs to students in attendance and will continue to do so throughout the week.


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Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
02 September 2024
RE: Food Parcel Distribution by All Campus Clinics

Food parcels will be distributed by all campus clinics to unfunded students on Wednesday at 9 am.

For immediate release
01 September 2024
RE: DASO NSFAS Clinic Mass Meeting and Noodles Pack Distribution

We are pleased to announce that we have engaged with the National Deputy Chief Whip of the DA Baxolile Nodada MP and the Deputy Minister of Higher Education Dr. Mimmy Gondwe MP regarding the challenges our students are facing with NSFAS.

To address these issues we are convening a mass meeting tomorrow at 13:00 North Campus Auditorium next to Financial Aid we call upon all students to join this meeting. We will submit the list to the Deputy Minister of Higher Education to expedite the resolution of NSFAS issues which are

Defunded students
Appeals
Outstanding allowances
Unfunded Students

Furthermore we will be distributing Noodle Packs to students in attendance. We urge all students facing NSFAS issues to join us and make their voices heard.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional committee

For Immediate Release
01 September 2024
RE: Adopting a High School

Today our deployed SRC member Siphumeze Faith Khundo who is the Community Development Transformation and Gender Officer, adopted Motherwell High School for a career day event. This initiative has been a concept formulated April 2024 aimed to equip learners with essential information on various career choices empowering them to make informed decisions about their future.

We extend our gratitude to the stakeholders who supported this endeavor

DVC of Learning and Teaching

Phiri and Mokwape Security and Cleaning Services

Premier Student Accommodation

Affinity Properties

NMU Housing

Accounting Department

Environmental Health Department

SAIMA (South African International Maritime Institute)

As the saying goes "A nation that does not cater for its youth is doomed for failure." We believe that investing in the next generation is crucial for a brighter future.




Yours in struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For Immediate Release
31 August 2024
RE: Sandwich distribution

Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing power outage our organization remains committed to serving the students. Today we were distributing sandwiches to students at Lillian Ngoyi.

We will continue making sure no student is left behind.




Yours is struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For immediate release
30 August 2024
RE: Man and Woman talks in collaboration with Castle house student accommodation

Today our organization was honored to be invited by Castle House to engage with their students on critical social issues affecting them. We were also grateful for the opportunity to cook for the students fostering a sense of community and connection.

During our talks we addressed various topics including mental health, self-confidence, empowerment and relationships. We were struck by the number of students struggling with mental health issues and encouraged them to utilize the services of Emthonjeni to find support.

Castle house led separate discussions for men and women tailoring our messages to address specific challenges faced by each group. The women's talk focused on self-confidence and empowerment while the mens talk explored the importance of being mindful of societal expectations and learning to protect oneself in relationships.

We are inspired that Castle House management recognized our organizations capability to lead these important conversations. We are committed to continuing this vital work providing a safe space for students to share their concerns and find support.




Yours in struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For Immediate Release
30 August 2024
RE: Break-in and harassment incident at New Heaven Student accommodation

On 30 August 2024 around 03: 00am disturbing incident occurred at New Haven Student Accommodation, where a male student broke into the residence destroyed property and attempted to forcefully enter his girlfriends room. We immediately reached out to the landlord to report the incident and request assistance. However she informed us that it was not a priority citing ongoing power outages in some areas and stated that she would only be available to address the issue the following morning.

We are deeply concerned about the lack of urgency and attention given to this serious incident particularly considering the safety and well-being of female students in the accommodation. Despite the landlords unavailability we took swift action and apprehended the suspect with the assistance of the police.

Furthermore we are alarmed by the inadequate security measures in place. The landlord confirmed that there is no qualified security personnel on site and shockingly admitted that the university allowed her to operate without qualified security for an extended period over eight months. This is unacceptable as we believe that qualified security should be in place from the moment students move in.

Moreover students have informed us that this is not an isolated issue, as the same unqualified individual has been acting as security for some time and in some instances students themselves have been asked to fill in as security due to the absence of a dedicated personnel.

Additionally we were informed that the second floor of the accommodation lacks adequate security measures ncluding butlers making it vulnerable to unauthorized access. Thieves can easily climb through the streetlight and gain entry to the second floor compromising the safety of students.

During the incident the suspect initially fled when the police arrived but attempted to re-enter the accommodation by climbing through the streetlight again. We had to call the police a second time to apprehend him.

Following this incident we have written to the Housing Management and the Dean of Students to report the issue and express our deep concern about the lack of adequate security measures in place. We demand urgent attention to this matter and will work with the university to address these critical safety concerns ncluding, Unqualified security personnel, Lack of functioning cameras, Inadequate access control measures and Absence of butlers on the second floor

We will continue to advocate for students safety and well-being ensuring that their accommodation meets the necessary standards.

Yours in Struggle
DASO institutional committee

Greetings Madibaz.

Nominations for the upcoming SRC elections have now opened.

We would like to invite all those who are DASO members and have an interest in standing for office to kindly nominate themselves or another member they know would be a strong candidate on the below Google form.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfopWMBx1pwqhuyFgCh_Zpa47_EJCNnvZqO68oWR7tZ6ciCJA/viewform?usp=send_form

Nominations will close on Sunday, 01 September midnight.

More information will be released soon

Yours in Servitude
DASO Institutional Committee

DASO NMU 2024/25 SRC Candidature Application Form This form serves as the nominations form for the upcoming SRC elections, 30 September to 1 October 2024. Kindly nominate yourself or someone else for the below positions

For Immediate Release
29 August 2024
RE: Outstanding Allowances

DASO is aware that some students are yet to receive their monthly allowances causing undue financial strain. We have compiled a list of eligible students who have not yet received their allowances and submitted it to Financial Aid for verification and urgent action.

We urge Financial Aid to speed up the process of disbursing the outstanding allowances to those who are eligible but have not received allowances. We will continue to monitor the situation and advocate for students welfare.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
28 August 2024
RE: Soup Kitchen Initiative

Today, DASO NMU continued its commitment to supporting students affected by the ongoing power outage. We continued to cook and distribute meals to students in various accommodations across Walmer.

Our dedication to assisting affected students remains unshakeable. We will persist in exploring all possible means to reach out to those in need, ensuring no student is left behind.




Yours in Struggle,
DASO Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
28 August 2024
RE: Soup Kitchen

Building on our sandwich distribution and soup kitchen initiative, DASO is extending its support to affected students in residences. Today we will be providing warm cooked meals to student accommodations at 22 on Heugh Road and 8 on Sixth Avenue Walmer, who are struggling with the ongoing power outage.

Our commitment to ensuring no student is left behind remains unwavering. We will continue to adapt our response to meet the evolving needs of the students.




Yours in Struggle,
DASO NMU Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
28 August 2024
RE: Outstanding Allowances

DASO NMU is very concerned about the number of students who have not received their monthly allowances. As an organization, we took proactive steps to address the issue of outstanding allowances. We have engaged with the Financial Aid office management to submit our concern on behalf of students.

The Financial Aid office has requested that we compile a list of all students who have not received their allowance, including transport allowances.We urge all students who have not receiving their allowance to utilise the link below.

https://forms.gle/i1tMPCsJ86imkwMP9

Please circulate the link on all whatsap groups




Yours in struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For Immediate Release
27 August 2024
RE: Soup Kitchen initiative

Today our organization continued its efforts to support students affected by the ongoing power outage in Summerstrand. We took the initiative to cook and provide meals to students at various accommodations in summerstrand.

Our commitment to assisting affected students remains unshakeable and we will continue to explore all possible means to reach out to those in need.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For immediate release
27 August 2024
RE: Suspension of Academic activities

The organisation has been actively advocating for the welfare of students affected by the ongoing electricity power outage in Summerstrand. We previously wrote to the DVC of Leaning and Teaching, DVC of People & Operations and the Dean of Students, requesting the suspension of classes due to the unbearable conditions faced by students including the lack of hot water, wifi and electricity.

We are happy to to announce that the university has agreed to our call to suspend all academic activities.

DASO members are currently on the ground assisting our affected students in various areas through our soup kitchen drive.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For Immediate Release
27 August 2024
RE: Soup kitchen

Following our sandwich distribution to affected students the organisation is committed to continuing our support efforts. Today we will be setting up a soup kitchen at SSSV and New Res Phase 3 to provide hot meals to students struggling with the ongoing power outage.

We will continue to monitor the situation and adapt our response to meet the evolving needs of the students. The organisations aim is to ensure that no student is left behind or disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control.




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For Immediate release
26 August 2024
RE: Sandwich Distribution

An unexpected electricity power outage affected the Summerstrand area, impacting students. In response to this situation the organisation an initiative to assist those affected students. We distributed 500 sandwiches and juice to students at several locations including Solomon Mahlangu Annex, Claude Qavane, Second Avenue and South Campus Sports Centre.

We are the only organisation committed in driving student issues, the next update on soup kitchen will follow.




Yours in struggle
DASO NMU Institutional committee

For immediate Release
25 August 2024
RE: Sandwich distribution

Following the electricity power outage in summerstrand as the organisation we have decided to distribute sandwiches for all the affected students.

Tomorrow we will be distributing the sandwiches at Second Avenue Yolanda Guma and Solomon Mahlangu Annex at 12:00

We have written to the Dean of Students and the DVC of People & Operations to intervene since we understand that by the time this issue occurred students have already Utilised their allowances to buy groceries and have no means to buy from the Cafeteria.

Furthermore we invite external stakeholders who would like to contribute in this initiative to email [email protected]
0641947280




Yours in struggle
DASO NMU institutional committee

For immediate release
25 August 2024
RE: Electricity Power Outage

DASO NMU continues to call upon the university management to postpone academic activities until electricity is restored. No students must attend academic activities while other students don’t have access to electricity, water and WiFi connection.

Some lecturers have already postponed classes, tests and assignments. Any lecturer that is forcing students to attend classes, write tests and do presentations while we are still experiencing power outage email
[email protected]




Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
23 August 2024
Re: Electricity Power Outage in Summerstrand, Walmer, North End, and Forest Hill

The aforementioned locations are currently experiencing a power outage, expected to last approximately two weeks. As a result, our organization has written to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Learning and Teaching to request a postponement of all upcoming quizzes, exams, assessments, and online text deadlines until power is restored.

If you have an upcoming deadline and are affected by this power outage, please email [email protected]

Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
23 August 2024
RE: Regrouping at George Campus, Sanitary Pads Drive and Branch Election

Join us today as we will be having a Regrouping and Branch Election at George Campus Recreational Center.

Sanitary Pads will be distributed in the mentioned residences.

Transport and refreshments Will be provided. For transport contact:
063 274 1707
074 076 3763



Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional Committee

For Immediate Release
22 August 2024
RE: Toiletry drive initiative

Today we continued placing Toiletry Drive Donation Boxes in Student Accommodations. We would like to thank everyone who have started donating.

We kindly invite everyone to participate in this initiative. Your contributions will make a significant difference in the lives of those in need. Let's work together to make a positive impact.

Umuntu Ngumntu Ngabantu

Yours in Struggle
DASO NMU Institutional Committee