University of Pretoria students who are completing their degrees raise concerns on the impact the protests will have on their academics following the university’s decision to move the October recess forward.
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: An armoured vehicle is seen on the Hatfield campus. Photo: Sarah Hulett
A group of academics from the University of Johannesburg and Wits University facilitated a public meeting on #Fees2017.
COSATU will join the Fees Must Fall movement and march with students on October 14. (more…)
INJURED: The hand of a student who had been hit by one of the hurling rocks thrown by Wits’ private security. Photo: Nasya Smith
A private security company whose employees were in a stone-hurling clash with students on the Great Hall steps on Tuesday have not had their contract terminated though Wits is investigating individuals, the university said.
This comes after allegations that Wits had cancelled the contract with the company after its security guards retaliated against stone-throwing students by throwing stones themselves. Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel dismissed these claims saying the university had opened an investigation and would wait until it has concluded to decide on anything.
“The head of security is currently compiling a report and based on that report, they’ll decide whether they terminate the contract or not,” she said. The investigation report is expected to be out in “a day or two”.
Patel said she could not confirm which company had security guards involved in the stone throwing but the investigation was set out to identify individuals that were involved in the scene.
Wits Vuvuzela spoke to Diligence Security Services, which confirmed that they had guards deployed at Wits on the day and that some of them had stones hurled at them. Another security company, Fidelity Security Services, said that they didn’t have any extra security of their own at the Great Hall but confirmed that the security guards at the Great Hall were deployed Diligence Security guards.
Students continue to protest on all Wits campuses on the second day of the #Fees2017 protests. (more…)
Student who were arrested earlier today as part of the Fees Must Fall protest that took place at Wits University will not be prosecuted for their charges and will be released.
The group of 31, who mostly belong to Men’s Res, are being held at the Hillbrow Police Station as they await their release, which is expected to be at 4pm today.
The protesters were arrested for “contravening a court interdict,” according to the Hillbrow Police Station’s spokesperson Mduduzi Zondo. The court order prevents anyone from obstructing the entering or exiting of any person, “or any of its buildings, facilities, residences, halls, classrooms and the like”.
Vuyani Pambo, a member of the Wits Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), said that he could not supply the names of the arrested students. However, he could confirm that Koketso Poho, chairperson of the Wits EFF, was part of the group who were arrested and was injured in the process.
“Once all the 31 students were processed, then the dockets were taken to the senior prosecutor for advice to see if they would prosecute on the case,” said Florencia Belvedere, an attorney from Lawyers for Human Rights whom is working on the case.
Belvedere said that the senior prosecutor then agreed not to prosecute and agreed to allow the students to be released.
“The issue remains however whether there is some grounds to carry the court order because today the students are released but tomorrow, they demonstrate again and we could be back here again,” said Belvedere.
Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande’s announcement on Monday regarding the university fee increments for 2017 has sparked protests under the Fees Must Fall movement on various university campuses in the country. Here is a roundup of what has occurred at Wits University this morning.
ASSEMBLE: Students begin to organise at Solomon House on Monday following a fees announcement by Minister of Education Blade Nzimande.
Let’s say you were in a lecture yesterday when email came in advising you to leave campus because a protest had broken out. Even better your tutorial was disrupted by a group of protesters calling for a campus shut down.
You’ve checked your Twitter feed to get the scoop on what’s actually happening and although you have an idea of what #Fees2017 means, you require a lot more clarity on the issue? Well we hope the next few points will clear things up for you.
What did Blade say?
In yesterday’s press conference the 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%. This increase would not apply to students on the government loan scheme NSFAS and students belonging to the “missing middle” whose families earn too much to qualify for NSFAS but too little to afford fees. In Nzimande’s definition this would be students whose families make less than R600,000 a year.
What does this mean for students?
So essentially students that qualify for NSFAS and are granted the bursary will pay the same fees in 2017 that they paid in 2016. Nzimande says students who make up the missing middle will also in effect pay the same fees as 2016, with their 8% increase subsidised by the government.
In other words rich students have to pay the 2017 increase.
So then why are students protesting?
So far students have said they were protesting because they felt that the real issue of free, decolonised education has not been addressed since last year’s protest. But there is not agreement on what free education means, who should get it, as well as when it should be realised.
The Wits Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Student Command students said they were protesting for free higher education now.
On the other hand the Wits SRC, which constitutes of only ANC-aligned Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) members, have called for a moratorium on all fee increases until free higher education is attained.
Students have also complained about the fact that a fee “freeze” is not the same as a fee reduction. Students who were struggling with fees in 2015 and 2016 are likely to face the same problems in 2017 if fees remain unchanged.
So what’s certain at this point?
Two points. Students have rejected the work of the Fees Commission saying instead of looking into the “feasibility” of free higher education the commission needs to focus on how to make it a reality. Students have also asked for the proper implementation of insourcing for workers a move which they say will bring dignity to the workers.
Who is involved in the protest?
Several parties are involved in the movement. Monday’s meeting was called by the Wits SRC, however the Wits EFF and Fees Must Fall–a nonpartisan movement, are also key role players in the protest. In last year’s protests workers joined in solidarity with the student’s call for free education as well as their own issue of insourcing, but they have not been present in this week’s protest so far. It is unclear whether they will join the students at a later stage.
Okay thanks for all that, but what does this mean for the academic programme?
Well classes could be delayed slightly or severely which probably depends on whether the students demands are going to be addressed in a positive manner. It depends on how students and the university deal with each other. Students have vowed to keep campus shut down until their demands are met, meanwhile the university has sent out communique which called on students to come to campus because it will be business as usual. Some arrests of student protesters by the SA police service have already been made.
We will just have to wait and see how the day unfolds as well as the protest at large.
Related Stories
Wits Vuvuzela: Students meeting in Solomon House to discuss way forward, September 19, 2016
Wits Vuvuzela: Blade passes the bucks, September 19, 2016
DASO has urged students to focus their attention on funding for poor students in a statement following Blade Nzimande’s announcement this morning.
The Senior Executive Team of Wits has released a statement pertaining to the fees announcement made by Blade Nzimande this morning.
The Academic Staff Association of Wits University has released a statement regarding the announcement by Blade Nzimande on fees for 2017.
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