I respect the request that university Alumni and anyone else that can assist must assist students. At the same time, I want to caution about the dynamics of sharing a home environment with students.
Years ago I offered two Muslim students lodging in an apartment separate but attached to my home. The Durban student was studying engineering at UCT and the Botswana student studied design at CPUT. Because of our mutual religion and culture I thought that sharing a property would be easy.
From the start the variances of the boys were obvious. The one loved quiet privacy while the other enjoyed music and visitors. The quiet boy was overtly religious while the other was not.
The first problem started when the religious boy insisted on waking the other, often at 4am for morning prayers. Also the one boy enjoyed late night action while the other boy preferred resting.
Both were lazy and did not like cleaning. Since they had chars at home, neither boy swept floors. Whenever I received a call from Botswana or Durban to mediate a dispute, on entering, the accrual of hair gave the impression that two grizzly bears were shedding. One boy often emptied the geyser when bathing, leaving cold water for the other. After a year of drama I did not to invite them back.
Students like others often have naïve beliefs. Universities like most schools do not teach how to live in reality. Sadly life lessons are often taken from TV that has the most influence on a vulnerable mind.
Those who live recklessly without discipline or values are the greatest threat that any society and nation must confront. Spend one hour channelling the TV and see what values are depicted as reality.
We often create monsters that could destroy our collective future if values and discipline are ignored.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress