Police called to remove protestors
Public order police were deployed when students attempted to occupy the Wits University Senate House last night. (more…)
Wits academics affirm right to protest in response to threat of action
HIRED FORCE: The university hired private security in riot gear to evict protesting FeesMustFall students. Photo: Michelle Gumede
by Masego Panyane and Michelle Gumede
Academics have responded strongly to the statement issued by Wits stating that they should respect security protocols as laid out by private security companies or risk facing the chop.
Last week Wits issued a statement to staff members warning them about violating “security protocols” related to fees protests with possible termination.
“Some staff members have also tried to breach security protocols. We want to remind staff that the decision to bring additional security onto campus is an executive decision and that any member of staff who violates the University’s security protocols will be jeopardising the safety and security of our campus and thereby violating their own conditions of service,” read the statement.
The Academic Staff Association of Wits University (Asawu) released a statement saying academics are allowed to protest but “this right to protest is not, however, unfettered.” The conditions are stipulated by the Regulation of Gatherings Act.
According to the statement, protests no larger than 15 people do not require prior permission while those with 16 or more participants do require it. However, an exception to this rule can be made for “spontaneous protest”.
“Its very spontaneity is a defense against liability for failing to give prior notice and seeking prior permission,” reads the statement.
The union has also shown displeasure at the amount of security personnel on campus that has been called in to stop the protesting students. It highlights in its statement that some institutions received orders from the government to increase the security on its campuses during this registration period. Asawu says it is concerned by the apparent interference of the government in tertiary institutions and that this threatens autonomy and academic freedom of universities.
Asawu has called for patience and understanding of its members and students during this time saying: “Patience, understanding and tolerance is going to be required as will our unstinting commitment to non-violence, academic freedom and the autonomy of our institution as we work together as academics, students and broader society to realize our shared vision of access to free education.”
Asawu’s statement also follows an open letter sent to academics by Vice Chancellor Adam Habib that he wrote to the academic staff who have complained about the use of private security in response to fees protests this month.
“The current strategy of shutting down the university is, in our view, detrimental to the task of building a transformed and academically excellent institution,” wrote Habib.
The open letter addresses issues such as the consequences of postponement of registration, protecting the rights of all and what Habib said was “complacency” of some regarding violence or the threat of it within protests.
“I will never remain silent and allow a culture of violence and ungovernability to prevail within an institution of learning. I will never remain silent when a university and its learning project is being sacrificed to broader political goals, however attractive they may be,” Habib wrote in the letter.
The Anthropology Department’s Dr Kelly Gillespie was a part of a group of academics who took to Facebook to voice their displeasure, accusing the university of “very good at spinning image” while bringing heavy-handed security guards onto campus.
“As far as we know, never in the history of the university has this type of securitisation been used on campus. Even during the darkest days of the apartheid regime, the university was maintained as a space for the free expression of protest, ideas and critique. Habib thus goes down in history as the VC to bring down this kind of disproportionate repressive security detail onto the space of our campus. Nothing he says can take that fact away. No amount of resuscitation of his anti-apartheid history will obscure it. It will always mark his history at Wits,” Gillespie wrote.
OPINION: Seven things we’ve learned from the #EFF7
Wits Vuvuzela journalist, Sibongile Machika, looks back at the suspension, and then court challenge of the EFF7 and suggests seven lessons to take away from the saga.
1. “Habib must fall”
The Wits EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) has called for the fall of Professor Adam Habib on a number of occassions demonstrating a growing dissatisfaction with the vice chancellor and principal of the university.
Adam Habib Wits University Vice Chancellor. Photo: Wits Vuvuzela.
The suspension of the seven students, most of whom were EFF aligned, was completely within Wits rules and procedures. Yet the court found that this decision violated the students’ right to education. How can a university, a place that is meant to shape the minds of our future leaders have laws that contradict our treasured constitution? What does this say about our universities and the people that govern them? Surely it is reasonable that such leaders must “fall”.
2. Choose your friends carefully
VICTORIOUS: Wits EFF members and Advocate Dali Mpofu celebrate outside the South Gauteng court, after their suspension from the university was overturned. Photo: Michelle Gumede
Had this been any other group of students involved in a fight or disruption, they would probably have turned on each other at the first sign of suspension. The relationship between the Wits EFF members is strengthened by their commitment to a shared political ideology. Under the leadership of Vuyani Pambo they fought together for a common cause through thick and thin.
3. Stick to your guns
Vuyani Pambo briefing EFF members after the great brawl. Photo: Sibongile Machika
Throughout the threats, the fights and even suspensions, the Wits EFF members stood firm in the beliefs. They continuously defended the stance that Wits management shifts some of their responsibilities and decision-making to the SRC (Student Representative Council).
4. Timing is everything
Although the suspended students are back at university, they still have to face the consequences of their actions. Facing a disciplinary hearing so close to the exams is never a good idea, the outcome could have huge implications on their future at Wits.
5. Struggle songs are still sung
We’ve all learnt at least one struggle song from the Wits EFF members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOwND4wIEhQ
6. Black lives still don’t matter
Wits EFF members waiting for the keys to their rooms at Wits Senate House. Photo: Sibongile Machika
Some of the suspended students lived at Wits University residences as they hail from outside the Gauteng province. When the students were suspended, they were kicked out of res but there was little consideration for where they would stay and what they would eat. Granted, they are all adults who must think about the implications of the actions but education is a holistic experience.
The living circumstances of students must always be considered in both teaching and disciplining students.
7. Youth drives change
Wits EFF members at the men’s res march. Photo: Tanisha Hieberg
Wits EFF students and the rest of the students driving the transformation across South Africa have inspired the nation in the same way that the class of ’76 did. No matter what happens now, there is no going back.
Wits town hall sees shouting match
Former Wits SRC member Jamie Mighti walked out of a Wits town hall earlier today after he found himself in a shouting match with VC Adam Habib.
A Wits town hall ended in tension earlier today after a shouting match between Vice Chancellor Prof Adam Habib and former SRC member Jamie Mighti, with the latter leaving the room when the argument reached a boiling point.
During the town hall, Mighti shouted his suggestion from the back of the room that Habib should order police to protect Wits students in Braamfontein, Habib shouted back that this was illegal for him to do.
Mighti insisted that the University of Johannesburg has such initiatives in place. Habib responded that it’s the responsibility of the municipality to do that.
The two parties then had a shouting match, with both accusing the other was ‘lying’.
Mighti said that Habib “Should stop lying to the students.” Mighti, who was wearing an Student Representative Council blazer, told all present that he is no longer a member of the SRC.
After the publicly heated argument, Mighti and several other students left the Senate Room. Habib continued with the meeting.
SRC president Shaeera Kalla told Wits Vuvuzela, “Town hall meetings for me are a space where things can really get unproductive, close to election time you find that parties come and want to have the loudest voice or the loudest bark.”
Kalla said she doesn’t appreciate students walking out like that, because they’ve come here to engage. “It’s a common tendency sometimes that when things don’t go your way to walk out, it’s a bit cowardly. But I do appreciate the input, and I think it’s fair to have input of that nature. The vice chancellor should be accountable and I really don’t think its professional of him to scream at students like that. There must be respectful engagement from both sides,” said Kalla.
On addressing the issue of Wits students safety outside of the university, Habib said he cannot control neighbourhoods surrounding student residences, such as Esselen residence in Hillbrow. “I don’t have the authority to look after Hilbrow,” he said. Habib added that he believed Esselen residence should be closed down.
Related articles: Jamie Mighti resigns from Wits SRC
Wits flags fly at half-mast for former vice chancellor
Wits University’s flags will fly at half-mast for the next six days in honour of former Vice Chancellor, Professor Robert (Bob) Charlton. Charlton passed away yesterday morning at the age of 86, after succumbing to a brief illness. He first came to Wits as an undergraduate medical student in 1946 and was appointed as vice chancellor of the university 46 years later. In a statement released by Prof Adam Habib, current vice-chancellor, Charlton’s academic and professional journey as well as his personal characteristics were celebrated.
The statement is reproduced in full below:
“Dear Colleagues
The Wits flag will fly at half-mast for the next six days to honour the memory of former Wits Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert (Bob) Charlton who passed away this morning after a brief illness at the age of 86.
Professor Robert W Charlton’s long association with Wits began in 1946 when he registered as an undergraduate medical student. He was awarded the degree of MD in 1963 and appointed as Professor of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology in 1967. In 1975, Professor Charlton was elected as a Senate representative on the University Council while serving as Assistant Dean of the Medical School. In 1978, he was elected Dean and served in that capacity until his appointment as Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 1980. In February 1988, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University and held office for two terms until 1997. Under his steadfast and principled leadership, the University was steered on an even course during challenging times in the late 1980s and 1990s.
During his career as an academic and university administrator he served on several local and national bodies. These include the Medicines Control Council, the South African Medical and Dental Council, the Johannesburg Hospital Board, the Coronation Nursing College Council, the Witwatersrand Technikon Council and the Johannesburg College of Education Council.
Professor Charlton served with dedication on the Board of Governors of the Wits Foundation. He was invited to be a Trustee in 1987 and was reappointed in 1997. He served voluntarily in this position until 2008.
He had a passion for education and a lifelong commitment to the University that continued in many formal and informalcapacities in recent years. He initiated and supported the Charlton Awards for Service Excellence for support staff, and was always present to hand out these coveted awards to exceptional staff. He regularly attended Wits events including Evolution Day in the Great Hall in June this year.
We acknowledge with gratitude the invaluable contribution that Professor Charlton made to Wits University. Wits has indeed lost one of its stalwarts today. His wife Margaret, also deeply involved in university life, passed away some years ago. Our deepest condolences are extended to Professor Charlton’s family, friends and former colleagues and students, and especially to his three daughters, Sarah, Julia and Diana, and his son, Robert, all of whom have close ties with Wits.
We wish you peace during this difficult period.
– Professor Adam Habib”.
Wits reaches an agreement with MJL electrical workers
Wits University has reached an agreement with protesters, including Wits Workers Solidarity and MJL Electrical workers, before a court interdict was issued to have them forcibly removed from the offices of the Wits Vice Chancellor Prof Adam Habib.
File Photo
Protesters occupying the offices next to vice chancellor, Prof Adam Habib have reached an agreement with Wits University after previously being denied their demands that outsourced MJL workers be absorbed by another contractor.
The MJL electrical workers were left jobless after the private company was closed, following allegations that the workers were not paid by the company. According to a university statement the MJL workers were subsequently paid by Wits out of the monies owed to MJL Electrical.
The university previously made a statement where it acknowledged that the MJL workers were treated unfairly by the contractor.
“MJL workers have been treated badly by their boss. Wits does sympathize. But we cannot employ the workers,” the university said in an earlier statement.
According to the university spokesperson, Shirona Patel, Habib said during the protest that Wits could not absorb the MJL workers into the university.
The statement also added that Wits management would not meet with the student protestors, “Wits Management is open to meeting directly with the workers themselves or their recognised unions but the university will not negotiate with the Wits EFF, student groups or other informal bodies on this matter.”
However the protesters have reached an agreement with deputy vice-chancellor Prof Tawana Kupe, today and voluntarily left the premises just before lunch. This comes after the university began proceedings to obtain a court interdict to have the students from Wits Workers Solidarity Committee and MJL workers removed from the premises, which they have been occupying since Wednesday.
Koketso Toho, a protestor and member of Wits Workers Solidarity, said “We got the university to take responsibility to attend and negotiate with current vendors which enjoy the same status as MJL to employ the current number of workers.”
“They will try to communicate with us and we will take it from there what action we will take.”
In the university’s statement responding to the demand to employ the workers, it explained the negative affect insourcing, hiring the workers directly by Wits, would have on the university by setting a precedent, ” Those who advocate insourcing do not realize that it would require an extra 15% increase in student fees otherwise Wits quality will decline … This would destroy Wits. Where would future students go?”
Toho however believes the university will try to improve the number of outsourced vendors it uses, “We will try and negotiate for the general outsourcing to stop which the university has committed itself to try and stop … even though it might be a lengthy process.”
He added, “They [Wits University] will try to communicate with us and we will take it from there what action we will take.”
Wits seeks court order to remove protesters
Students and dismissed electrical workers have occupied the offices of the Wits vice chancellor, Professor Adam Habib, since yesterday, The university has indicated that it will be seeking a court interdict to have the protesters removed.
LOCKED OUT: Two students were locked out of Professor Adam Habib’s offices yesterday while protesters occupied the space demanding that the dismissed MJL electrical workers be absorbed into a new company now contracted by Wits. Photo: Tanisha Heiberg
Wits University says it will seek a court order to remove the protesters currently occupying the office of the vice chancellor, Professor Adam Habib. Around 20 protesters occupied the office on the 11th floor of Senate House on East Campus, around lunch time yesterday, and were given the option to move to another site by 6pm last night. After failing to move, the university declared it’s intention, via a tweet, to seek legal recourse.
11. @WitsUniversity will now seek a court interdict to remove them. If they still refuse, they will be in violation of the law and our rules
— Wits_News (@Wits_News) May 27, 2015
The protesters, including members of Wits Workers’ Solidarity, and MJL electrical workers are apparently still in the office this morning which has been closed by Campus Control.
The protest comes after a protracted dispute with Wits management over the fate of the electrical workers who were left jobless after the university ended its contract with their company, MJL Electrical. Last month, the group sent a letter to the vice chancellor blaming the university for not doing enough to help them. The workers have been in a salary dispute with the owner of the company, George Cresswold since early this year.
Yesterday, two students attempting to join the protest were locked out of the offices and staged their own sit-in in the lobby. A student and member of Wits Workers’ Solidarity, Mpho Massuku said, “They are not allowing us to come inside … Habib only allowed five people to go in and we are not part of them”.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Advancement and Transformation), Professor Tawana Kupe and members of the Academic Freedom Committee were seen inside the offices.
Professor Beatrys Lacquet, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Information, Knowledge and Infrastructure Management), said, “The university has to continue with business as usual and we are dealing with the matter in due process”.
Wits VC refers SRC President “for investigation”
Wits Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Adam Habib, has issued a statement condemning the recent Adolf Hitler” comments by SRC president, Mcebo Dlamini on the latter’s Facebook wall on Saturday. In the statement released a short while ago, Habib said he is referring “Mcebo Dlamini for investigation to see whether disciplinary charges should be brought against him in this regard”.
The full statement is reproduced below:
“Dear Colleagues, Students, Alumni and Members of the Wits University Community
The SRC President’s Facebook posts regarding Adolf Hitler and his subsequent comments to our student newspaper were forwarded to me over the weekend by a number of concerned staff, students and alumni. I have emailed the SRC President and asked him to account for his remarks but have not yet received a response.
The Facebook posts and subsequent comments are racist and offensive in the extreme. They make disparaging remarks about various communities and assume a similar characteristic among all white people. Disturbingly, they valorise a racist autocrat who was responsible for the murder of millions of people. Valorising such an individual is utterly unacceptable and especially dangerous in a climate where we are experiencing xenophobic attacks. It violates the fundamental values of Wits University.
In my email to the SRC President, I indicated that Wits strives to be a pluralistic institution and defends freedom of speech, even when this means allowing the expression of views that do not accord with our own views and values. However, we expect our officials to be circumspect in their utterances and to act within the values of the institution. This is a principle that applies to the SRC President and it has clearly been violated in this case.
As such, I am referring Mcebo Dlamini for investigation to see whether disciplinary charges should be brought against him in this regard.
To all individuals to whom this incident may have caused offence, I want to apologise for the fact that someone who is deemed a leader in our community could have made such shocking and embarrassing statements. His behaviour in no way speaks to the values of Wits as an institution.
– Vice-chancellor, Professor Adam Habib”
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Wits Vuvuzela, SRC President says: “I love Hitler,” April 2015.
- Wits Vuvuzela, Jewish student organisations respond to Dlamini’s Hitler comments, April 2015.
Wits condemns xenophobic attacks
Wits vice–chancellor Prof Adam Habib has released a statement on behalf of the university, condemning the xenophobic attacks that have taken place across South Africa in recent weeks.
“Dear Members of the Wits Community
Wits University strongly condemns all forms of xenophobia and the brutal acts of violence taking place throughout our country. These acts are unacceptable, inhumane and a clear violation of basic human rights.
Our deepest condolences go out to the victims of these outrageous, violent acts, some of whom have tragically lost their lives in recent days.
Wits further condemns the comments made by persons who occupy positions of power and who through their irresponsible remarks, have the ability to influence the actions of our citizens. This condemnation extends to the failure of government to hold these individuals accountable for their comments.
The blatant lack of leadership on this matter from the highest levels of government is also of serious concern. Now more than ever, clear messages need to be sent to all sectors of our society, without any ambiguity.
At Wits, we are fundamentally opposed to discrimination and will not tolerate any form of xenophobic behaviour on our campuses. Should any staff member, student or visitor experience acts of xenophobia or feel unsafe in any way on campus, we ask that you contact Campus Control on (011) 717-4444 or (011) 717-6666 at any time.
If you are beyond our campuses, you can report violent incidents or threats thereof via the UNHCR xenophobia hotline on 0825708779. The UNHCR then sends the message to the SAPS and their implementing partners on the ground for verification and response.
Thank you.
PROF. ADAM HABIB
VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL”
SA author becomes wiser
WISER AUTHOR: South African author Jonny Steinberg will join the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research in May this year. Photo: Provided
An award-winning South African journalist and author is due to join a leading Wits think tank in May.
Author and journalist Jonny Steinberg has been at Oxford University for the past four years and will be joining the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (Wiser).
The multi-award winning journalist, author and scholar is part of the university’s Distinguished Scholars’ Programme which aims to attract the best academic talent to Wits over the next three years. Steinberg said he is “grateful” to be a beneficiary of the plan.
“Any good university has to be involved in the production of knowledge, which is universal. This type of initiative will strengthen that.”
After shuttling back and forth between England and South Africa for the past few years, Steinberg told Wits Vuvuzela he is looking forward to being grounded in a local institution.
“Up until now, I haven’t been able to deeply engage with everything that’s going on there [South Africa], I’ve only been able to hover above it, but now I’ll be able to, in a much more immediate way.”
Wits Vice Chancellor Prof Adam Habib said Steinberg “embodies the quality of talented individuals that we wish to attract, both from our shores and abroad”.
“If there is a good story to be told, I look at how that story can amplify these processes.”
He will join Wiser from the beginning of May as a full-time professor of the university and will teach a graduate course while he writes a book about the “transition to democracy”. This new book is about a man who was accused of murder in the early 90’s and spent the beginning of South Africa’s democracy in prison.
Telling South Africa’s stories
Steinberg’s previous books have looked at racial violence on South African farms, HIV and Aids, gang life in prison and South African policing.
He described the work he does as being “deeply engaged with new things and processes happening in South Africa.
“If there is a good story to be told, I look at how that story can amplify these processes.”
Writing, Steinberg said, is something he always wanted to do. He described being at Oxford in the mid-90’s and having to decide if he should stay there or come home.
“The story of a whole country was being rewritten, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Budget speech brings good news for students
The annual budget speech has brought good news for students and academic institutions. Delivered by finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in Parliament earlier today, the speech has included an increase in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
In 2017/2018 the NSFAS budget will increase to R11,9 billion from R9,2 billion in 2014/2015 helping to ease the funding crisis currently facing students across the country.
“We are mindful of the pressures on student financing at our higher education institutions… This will support a further increase in university enrolments and in technical and vocational colleges,” Nene said.
[READ THE FULL BUDGET SPEECH]In addition, the finance minister has proposed an infrastructure budget of R10,5 billion for all universities, “including R3,2 billion for the new universities of Mpumalanga and Sol Plaatje”. The subsidies universities receive from government will amount to R72,4 billion overall.
Relief for students needing funding
Earlier this year 2788 Wits University students were unable to register after they were denied NSFAS funding.
At the time the vice-chancellor Prof Habib admitted in a statement: “Despite this [increase in NSFAS funding], the demand for financial aid still outstrips the availability of funds dedicated to higher education study.”
The Wits Student Representatives Council (SRC) campaigned to raise R1-million in one month for the students and last week succeeded in surpassing this goal in just 14 days reaching R1,7 million.
UPDATED WITH VIDEO: Nearly R2-million raised in 1Million1Month campaign
The Wits SRC have raised R1, 7 million after Wits chancellor Dikgang Moseneke and ten of his friends donated R50 000 each at the “One million, One month” launch earlier today.
The “One million, One month” campaign was officially launched by the Wits Student Representatives Council (SRC) at the Great Hall today even though the campaign reached its initial target of R1-million last Friday. The SRC was joined by the campaign’s ambassadors whose contributions today saw the total amount rise to R1,7 million.
Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke, one of the ambassadors, donated R50 000 and arranged for ten of his friends to match his contribution.
“I have phoned a number of my friends and I said to them I will make a commitment on my feet today … and at least 10 of them said they will match me”, Moseneke said.
“One of my friends was moved by young comrades thinking in a very revolutionary way. They have a deep grievance but they find a positive way to address it”, Moseneke added.
Wits vice-chancellor, Professor Adam Habib, said he hopes that the campaign raises one or two million more.
“I will not lie to you. We are hoping to make R2 or 3 million … I will not have enough money to fund all students,” Habib said.
Wits SRC president Mcebo Dlamini pointed out that he was no longer talking to the Department of Higher Education (DHE), about the problem but he refuses to see 2788 students go back home.
“One of my friends was moved by young comrades thinking in a very revolutionary way. They have a deep grievance but they find a positive way to address it”
“Our wish is to take all 2788 students to class because that is the future of the nation. I can’t lose 2788 students, I cannot,” Dlamini said.
LEGACY: Advocate George Bizos, attended the Wits SRC’s One Million, One Month launch at the Wits Great Hall. Photo: Tendai Dube
Advocate George Bizos, who was the first official ambassador of the campaign, shared a moving story of a young woman he knew who struggled financially and recalled his promise to “never let anyone in [his] generation go through the same thing”.
Mpendulo Nkosi, a first year civil engineering student from rural KZN spoke of his difficulties in securing accommodation and funding for his studies at Wits. He was later surprised by the announcement that he was to be fully funded by a donor, the Thusanani Foundation, a youth-led non- profit organisation.
Nkosi said, “I am really thankful, they have done great for me and my family.”
“I am really thankful, they have done great for me and my family”.
Another significant donation was that of R100 000 from the South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF).
Amongst the ambassadors who joined Bizos and Moseneke on stage was poet Lebo Mashile, and singer, Thandiswa Mazwai, both of whom congratulated Wits and the student leadership for their positive reaction to the funding crisis.
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