Israeli apartheid week unleashes turf war

 

Tensions flared as the PSC and SAUJS shared the piazza outside the Great Hall during the Israel Apartheid Week.

STAND OFF: Tensions over Israeli’s occupation of Palestinian land were replicated on campus when opposing camps laid claim to the piazza. Photo: Aarti Bhana

STAND OFF: Tensions over Israeli’s occupation of Palestinian land were replicated on campus when opposing camps laid claim to the piazza.                                                                  Photo: Aarti Bhana

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#FeesMustFall Infographic

On Monday September 19 2016, Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande announced that university councils had to determine their own fee increases for 2017, however the increase should not be above 8%.

Students did not take well to his announcement. They felt that he did not address the real issue of free, decolonised education so they retaliated in protest. The following weeks became characterised by standoffs between students and police. There were multiple arrests made and a sense of confusion between various groups of people.

The protests have since ended. The majority of the deployed police officers have been removed from university campuses and things seem somewhat back to normal at most institutions. The infographic highlights a few issues that have fallen under the #FeesMustFall 2016 banner. What has happened since? How much are students paying now? What’s the update on the arrested students?

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Related Articles:

Wits Vuvuzela, Another night in cells for #FeesMustFall leader, October 17, 2016

Wits Vuvuzela, “We are agitated due to comparison”: the students of #FeesMustFall,  October 17, 2016

Wits Vuvuzela, Day 4: FeesMustFall 2016 regains momentum, October 22, 2016

WCCO Food Bank will make it another year

The Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach programme (WCCO) has managed to secure Tiger Brands as its official sponsor for the food bank for 2017, meaning the food bank lives for another year.

The WCCO food bank project is an initiative to give needy students food parcels that can sustain them throughout the month. The sponsorship was secured through a joint effort between the SRC and WCCO. The parcels contain staple foods such as oats, samp, rice, morvite and peanut butter.

“We got our first delivery on January 17 and we have had our second deal already. It’s a lot of food every month and our offices are full but they go out very quickly,” said WCCO senior programme advisor Kuruna Singh.

The sponsorship is structured to last for a year through monthly deliveries of a fixed portion of groceries.

The food parcel is available to any needy students. All such students are welcome to collect the parcels at the WCCO offices underneath the Matrix.

STAYING ALIVE: The tiger brand sponsorship has secured yet another year of stability for those who rely on the WCCO. Photo: Nozipho Mpanza

STAYING ALIVE: The tiger brand sponsorship has secured yet another year of stability for those who rely on the WCCO.
Photo: Nozipho Mpanza

Any student who requires a pack is expected to produce a student card which will be swiped upon collection for tracking purposes. The groceries are expected to last for a month.

The WCCO will soon launch Masidleni, a daily meal project where they will provide fresh meals for students on a daily basis. However, this project will follow a selection process because the WCCO is responsible to pay for it. Students will qualify based on a list of criteria including household income and the applicant’s position in the family, much like NSFAS.

“What we have planned and budgeted for is 600 students, 300 here [main campus] and 300 on Education Campus, so we’ve got quite a few applications,” said Singh.

Although a food sponsorship has been secured through Tiger Brands, members of the Wits community are encouraged to continue with donations. The WCCO is in need of toiletries and other essential non-food items. “We need to work together,” said 2nd year BA student and WCCO volunteer Charlton Tshili.

Related articles:

Wits Vuvuzela, WCCO endorse student tutorship programmes,  February 10, 2017

Wits Vuvuzela, First WCCO “artivism” initiative gets sanitary pads for students, August 13, 2016

Wits Vuvuzela, WCCO breaking down the perceptions of volunteerism, May 6, 2014

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