By Dineo Matomela

Students at a Port Elizabeth college are allegedly having sex with World Cup stadium construction workers to make ends meet.

A concerned parent called The Herald yesterday claiming that her daughter had had sexual relations with Grinaker-LTA workers for R20 at Port Elizabeth College‘s Dower campus.

The construction workers have been lodging in two blocks of the students‘ residence since last year, while the rest of the campus is occupied by students.

The Dower campus – one of seven campuses of the Port Elizabeth College – offers business courses and caters for students from about 18 and older.

A student representative council member said the workers had made romantic advances to the students who approached them for money.

“It is the students who go to the workers for money.” She said the security on campus had, however, been beefed up since the arrival of the workers.

A student who lives in the residence said yesterday, “Some young women from neighbouring homes also have relationships with the workers and we see them getting alcohol fortnightly when the workers are paid.”

Eastern Cape SA Democratic Teachers Union chairman Mzoleli Mrara yesterday condemned the arrangement of having students and workers side by side in the same institution and called for the parents to take action against both the college and the education department.

“This arrangement reduces our children to prostitution, especially during weekends when the workers buy alcohol for the students.

“We want parents to act against the college and department,” said Mrara.

During a visit to the school yesterday, The Herald team was barred from speaking to students and was ordered to leave the campus by members of security staff and superintendent George Chase, who refused to comment.

A Grinaker-LTA spokesman declined to comment and asked The Herald to speak to parents.

“These are serious allegations. We are completely separate from the students and there are security guards.”

Students are also concerned about an increase in residence fees from R3500 to R10000.

“We don‘t know what they are doing with our money because our residence is in an appalling condition,” the SRC member said.

She also said the institution had ordered students to leave by 10am tomorrow to make room for tenants during the Easter holidays.

Education MEC Johnny Magkato said no formal complaint had been laid with the department about the lodgers.

Source: The Herald