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As the protest at Wits University enters it fourth day, students have embarked on a hunger strike and declared a shutdown of all academic activity on campus.
The protest started on Monday after negotiations between the Wits student representative council and university management fell through the cracks following a dispute between returning students, who were not allowed to register as a result of outstanding fees on their accounts. The student council had requested that the university management allow all students who owed R100 000 and less to register, however the university is said to have only agreed to register students who owed R10 000 and less.
The students also wanted the university to make beds available to accommodate students who had been sleeping in university libraries and bathrooms.
Deputy president of the Wits student council, Nkateko Mulowia, said that the protest would continue actively until all of their demands were met.
“We have made a bit of progress in that the university has allowed all students who applied for the hardship fund [a student council fundraiser initiative] who owe under R100 000 to register. They have also availed 160 beds but we have said this is not enough as we already have more than 500 students who are without shelter. We want the university to accommodate these students,” Mulowia said.
On Thursday morning a fight broke out between the students and private security officers who are outsourced by the university. Videos which circulated on social media showed the security staff throwing stones at the students, who retaliated by throwing stones back at them. Police then fired tear gas at students. One student was said to have been arrested but was released shortly after, Wits student council president Sisanda Mbolekwa told City Press.
On Thursday afternoon in a mass meeting which was held at the Wits Great Hall, Mbolekwa pleaded with students to refrain from throwing stones and litter on campus because campus staff would have to pick up the litter, and not university management.
Mbolekwa informed students that the university management had asked to meet the student leaders but the crowd demanded that vice-chancellor Adam Habib address students.
“We want Habib to come and address these students. It seems futile to continue to negotiate with management as they agree to our demands then come tell us that they no longer agree as he overrides decisions. We want him here,” Muloiwa said.
As a result of the disruptions, lectures and academic activity conducted by the faculty of commerce, law and management had been cancelled after the university sent out official communique. Many frustrated students said that they had struggled to enter and exit campus and some were unsure what had caused the protest.
By 2pm, a mass of students was still chanting in front of the Great Hall stairs. They were surrounded by a police van and private security.
University management sent out a notice on Thursday morning informing its students, that with the aid of police, the university was working hard to restore calm following the unrest.
“This morning we had a group of about 50 masked people who blocked the entrances to Yale Road North and South by placing rocks across the road. They are also attempting to disrupt lectures on the Braamfontein Campus West. With the aid of the police Yale Road has been cleared and the individuals who are attempting to disrupt lectures are being rounded up,” Wits university said.
The university called the protests “an attempt to destabilise” the university.
“We cannot allow the futures of 32 000 registered students to be held to ransom by a small group of people trying to use the university for their own political gain.
“We will thus go ahead with all university activities in the interests of the majority of students and in order to produce the high level skills needed to move our country forward.”
