Students at NMU say ongoing electricity outages are disrupting their studies during test week, forcing many to work late into the night at campus libraries as their residences remain dark.
With study sessions ending between 10pm and 2am, students are increasingly concerned about their safety when travelling home at night, citing reports of muggings and unsettling experiences with e-hailing services that leave them feeling vulnerable.
So far, it is the third time in 2026 that a damaged pylon has caused a widespread outage.
Standing in the queue at a food truck, three female students spoke to The Herald on condition of anonymity due to their safety concerns.
“We have to buy food every day because we can’t cook, and it is getting very expensive,” a third-year student said.
“This electricity situation is very hectic. Because of test week, we need Wi-Fi, lights and laptops to study, which we can’t do at res, so we work in the library until after midnight.”
“People are getting robbed walking home at those late hours, so it is really stressful for us.”
A first-year student said the past week had been difficult.
“Everything in my fridge has gone to waste.
“I had to throw so much food away, and now I have to spend even more money to buy food that is already prepared because we have no way to cook.”
A third student said that using e-hailing services was dangerous, and she had experienced a situation at the weekend that made her very uncomfortable.
“I got into an e-hailing vehicle alone, and the driver told me that his phone wasn’t working, so the ride would have to be off the app.
“I was very scared.
“Luckily, another student got into the car, and then the driver’s phone magically started working.”
The student said her experience forced her to study in her residence in the dark.
“I have no other option. I would rather work by candlelight than end up being kidnapped.”
NMU spokesperson Zandile Ngwendu had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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