More than 100 students of Arise Business College (ABC), who were evicted from a house in Cilliers Street in Louis Trichardt, have since been moved to a house on a Rondebosch plot outside of town.

The students, who were housed in sub-human living conditions, were evicted, following a court order obtained by the Makhado Municipality. Now, at their "new" home, they are subjected to the same style of accommodation, at a fee of R250 per month. The Rondebosch plots also fall within the jurisdiction of the Makhado Municipality.

The municipality earlier took legal action against ABC, following reports of overcrowding which could cause a health and nuisance hazard, and following the continued unlawful multi-residential usage of a residential stand in town. The SAPS is also investigating a criminal charge which resulted from the same offence.

The owner of ABC, Mr Phineas Tshilongo, this week confirmed that his students have to pay a monthly fee of R250 per person for accommodation supplied by him in a number of houses which he bought in and around Louis Trichardt. He said some of them find their own private accommodation. He admitted that 95 students had been accommodated in his double-storied house in Cilliers Street but denied allegations that the residence was also used for tuition purposes. Tshilongo said all tuition for his college takes place in his modern lecture room at his official offices in Erasmus Street, directly opposite the municipal library. He said this year’s intake at the Louis Trichardt branch of ABC is 400. In all, he had 5 000 students at his 75 branches last year, said Mr Tshilongo.

He said although he received provisional registration from the IT Seta, and this accreditation is advertised on his office billboard, he does not receive any remuneration from the Seta for the training of all these students.

In an interview, Mr Tshilongo said the students in Louis Trichardt, who had enrolled his course in Computer Engineering, Graphic Design and Networking, are taught by his 11 qualified tutors in the lecture room which is fully equipped with an adequate number of computers. He said 20 students at a time can be accommodated for instruction in the lecture room. He ridiculed an allegation that classes were conducted by a tutor in the unfurnished kitchen of the house in Cilliers Street in conditions where the crammed-in students had to follow demonstrations by watching the solitary monitor over the shoulders of other students.

"I sell computers at ABC Computer Sales branches at all 75 branches of my college in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and in Gauteng. I import these computers in a container from America. How can there be a problem to supply sufficient computers for my students’ tuition?" he asked.

Mr Tshilongo, who says he has to appear in court again on February 6th, said he bought three houses in Louis Trichardt to house last year’s intake of more than 200 students. The size of the house in Cilliers Street made him think that it should be suitable to accommodate up to 95 students. A municipal report that was filed after an official inspection of the premises early this year, states that 95 people, overcrowding the premises, had to sleep on the floors, some in a room without windows. One room was used as a workshop to repair computers. The situation on the premises was described as "unbearable and totally unacceptable." It mentions health risks and fire hazards which could cause injury and harm. The house is situated in an upmarket residential area, across the street from a primary school.

About the present situation of the more than 100 students on the Rondebosch-plot, Mr Tshilongo said they are housed in the very large farm house and he is also busy building hostels for them on the farm.

"We are addressing the accommodation problem," he said

Classes for the 2008 intake will start during February.

Mr Tshilongo says his college offered free tuition to a number of orphaned and disabled students. He recently also donated bursaries amounting to R15 000 each to seven students identified by the Makhado Municipality.