PCD College owner, Christo Buchling, says students must use proper food containers to avoid ants in their food. Picture extracted from a video by Pico Production.
A director of PCD College in Pretoria says the college does not give Deaf employed learnership students and hearing students with different disabilities food with ants, instead it is the students’ personal food that is infested.
Christo Buchling who is one of the college directors said, students must get proper food containers to prevent ants from crawling into their food.
Deaf electrical students had previously informed this publication that their food gets infested with ants as they have nowhere they can place them, except on the ground. Students with different disabilities echoed these allegations. They argued that unlike most construction sites whereby there are steel containers where workers can keep their valuables and food locked up safely, the college does not provide such for them at the plot where they mostly work. The plot is said to be owned by Buchling and his house is located there.
For fear of intimidation, the students have asked this publication to conceal their identity.
Speaking on behalf of hearing students with different disabilities, one of them said:
Speaking on behalf of the Deaf students, a Deaf student said, “We remove the ants and continue eating the same food. That is our daily life, we sit with ants on the grass. It is like the ants are our friends.”
Probed about the issue of ants, Buchling said the matter is under investigation.
Buchling said:
The hearing students with disabilities charged that they demand steel containers where they can store their food, cellphones and bags securely at the plot. They said, they spend most of their time at the plot that they said it is owned by Buchling. Thus, “it is important that our labour rights are protected.”
Buchling said students are on a construction site, “They are from the outside. They are working on sites. They need to bring their own food in their own containers from their own houses. Remember, they are not paying for the hostel so this becomes their own responsibility.”
Picture: Screenshots of our journalist, Vicky Abraham’s media enquiry to Christo Buchling regarding ants infestation on students’ food.
The hearing students with disabilities however said:
One of the students explained:
The Deaf students on the other hand are still adamant that they want warm water to make tea and a microwave to warm up their food. The hearing students with disabilities echoed their demands.
