The acting director of Public Relations and Development at Univen, Mr Dzuguda Kharidzha, said the R10 000 they received from ABSA bank last week would be put to good use.

Reacting after a cheque was presented to him, Kharidzha said the money came at the right time. He said the University had embarked on a fundraising campaign, called the billion rand campaign, launched by the chancellor of the university, Cyril Ramaphosa, last year. He said the campaign is aimed at raising a billion rands in four years that will be used for students´ needs in the form of bursaries and scholarships.

He said the university was faced with a challenge to accommodate the ever overflowing student population. In an effort to reach their target of 10 500 students by 2010, the university had to control the entry point and only accommodated 2100 first entering students this year. "Faced with these challenges, the money fits in squarely and will help ease the students’ needs," he said.

He challenged other businesses to emulate what ABSA has done and follow in their footsteps. Kharidzha made a plea to the bank to help educate staff and students on how best they could save and use their money. "Some of us will soon be swelling the pensioners´ ranks and we have not saved anything. Please help us start saving," he said jokingly. He urged the bank to continue servicing the university community.

Mr Elijah Chomela, the branch manager at Thohoyandou, said it was very worrying that South Africans were regarded as the worst spenders.He said students should be made aware of the importance of saving early in their lives. Chomela said student saving education is one of their focal points. "The students are our future leaders and leaders are supposed to lead in saving," he said.

He said the money was but a small gesture compared to the needs of the University. "No amount of money could be enough to meet all the needs of the university, but the little we are giving will go a long way in making a change in students´ needs," he said. He said they have student loans which are aesy to apply and the best students’ accounts that meet their needs. "We are here to serve you, please make use of us," he said. He thanked the university for allowing them to operate freely on campus. "This is not the last event here. We still have a long way to go and we are looking forward to a healthy and lasting relationship," he said.

He said the bank was also involved in many community programmes and would continue ploughing back into the community.