The owner of Vhembe City College in Thohoyandou, Mr Michael Lutendo Rambani, came out in defence of his college, saying that what had happened at his college during the past month was a personal issue between him and a guardian of one of the students who could not afford to pay supplementary examination fees.

This follows a fracas between him and a certain Maanda Tshithavhane, who staged a sit-in at the college, demanding that the college pay back all the money he had paid to the college as tuition for his wife. Tshithavhane had claimed at the time that he had gone to the college to seek clarity on the status of the college after reading in this paper that many colleges operating in Thohoyandou and Sibasa were not registered.

He had claimed that he did not get satisfactory answers from the administrators of the college, which forced him to mobilize students and they went to the police station and reported the owner, who was later arrested.

This week, the owner of the college arrived at Mirror´s offices, armed with a certificate from Umalusi which permitted them to offer courses at the college. “The whole drama that happened at the college left a bad impression that we are offering courses which we are not allowed to do, and this has left our business in disrepute and suffering. We would like to put it on record that we are a duly registered institution and we pride ourselves on the fact that, over the years, we have produced very skilled personnel, some of whom are occupying responsible positions in government and the private sector,” he said.

He added that he had sought protection from the courts after the man disrupted lectures and incited others against the college. A court order was granted against the man and everything has since gone to normal.

Probed as to what had led to his arrest, Rambani said it was a personal issue that was just blown out of proportion. He said the man who had staged the sit-in was unable to pay for his wife’s supplementary examinations fee and had incited other students not to pay either, alleging that the college was not registered. “We explained the position of the college to the students and classes are now back to normal. We also urge parents who still have doubts to come to the college, where we will show them the relevant documentation pertaining to our registration,” he said. He added that parents and students should have confidence in them as they were not a fly-by-night college and had been in the business for many years, even in the Kwazulu Natal area.

He said many of his students would be graduating, receiving their qualifications in March 2011and they would be ready to face the challenges of the job market with the skills they would have acquired.

During Mirror’s visit to the college, scores of students were milling around the college premises going about their business at the Caltex Garage in Thohoyandou. “It is business as usual and we are continuing where we left off. We will continue serving our people and empowering our youth, so as to prepare them to face the challenges of unemployment, “said Rambani.

Meanwhile, police in Thohoyandou have vowed to continue clamping down on bogus colleges that are operating in the Thohoyandou and Sibasa area illegally. One college owner in Thohoyandou is alleged to have developed cold feet and has since run away, leaving more than 100 students in limbo. He is alleged to have told police that the college was being renovated. He has taken away his computers in the dark of the night. Mirror’s investigations have revealed that the building is not being renovated and has also uncovered that the owner had left without paying his rent to the landlord.

Mirror will carry a full report in next week´s edition.