Several unregistered students have embarked on a hunger strike to protest and fight for academic registration.
Poster reading, “We will not eat until all unregistered students are registered.” Photo: Siyanda Mthethwa.
The 2025 academic year at Wits University has begun, but some students haven’t been able to resume their studies and register successfully due to financial constraints.
In a statement, the university said 37 295 out of 38 000 students have registered, representing 95% of the eligible student population. In addition, over R2 billion in funding has been raised to assist students. While the university “is doing everything possible within its means to support students”, it “cannot erase all historic student debt fund” without risking bankruptcy.
Starting on 14 February 2025, a number of unregistered students spearheaded the protest for unregistered peers through a hunger strike.
Feziwe Ndwayana, an activist and Master’s student, who has been unable to register, is leading the charge. She believes that education is a right and that black students who are unable to register will be forced to “go back to the township, they must go back to the rural areas where they will become victims of crime.”
She said the peaceful protest is “ an expression of love for our country and all the poor black students on our campus. But also, it’s a symbol of the violence in the institution to deny ourselves food.”
Videos circulating on social media show Ndwayana and Siviwe Mafuna, another unregistered student partaking in the hunger strike, in a scuffle with campus control. The pair alleged that a prayer session with a traditional healer was interrupted.
In a different video seen by Wits Vuvuzela, campus control can be seen grabbing one of the unregistered students and violently escorting them out of the SRC offices.
Shirona Patel, Head of Wits Communication, questioned the motives of the hunger strike. “Please note that the two mature individuals in the SRC Boardroom who claim to be on a hunger strike are not registered students, nor SRC members. In fact, one was a former SRC President from about 10 years ago, who has worked as a journalist. They each have two qualifications from Wits and are now demanding funding for a third qualification. Is this fair? Should they not be paying their own way?” said Patel.
In response, Ndwayana said the hunger strike is bigger than the pair and is supported by solidarity groups such as Wits Palestine Solidarity Committee, and the Socialist Youth Movement (SYM).
Left to Right: Siviwe Mafuna, Feziwe Ndwayana, Mahlatse Letoka, partaking in hunger strike. Photo: Siyanda Mthethwa.
“The fact that we have work experience doesn’t mean that we must keep quiet in the face of injustice. And the fact that one was an SRC president (myself, by the way) here at Wits, it means that we are able to use our experience,” added Ndwayana
Patel said the university and the Wits SRC have had “productive meetings” on the matter and an estimated R9 million will be raised “by the end of the week (R4.5 million from students, matched by the University).”
Ndwayana claims this shows how unsupportive the SRC has been of their efforts. “What we’ve seen is them going behind our backs to meetings and taking money, like the one that you spoke about, taking money from the VC. When we had an agreement that we are in this fight together until all unregistered students are registered. Now, they are sellouts. because they’re going around taking money from VC and going off the course, having private conversations about us and not informing us.”
Ndwayana also claims that the SRC has taken ownership of the hunger strike. “Riding on the wave that we have created with our solidarity movement, going around saying that they’re part of the hunger strike, but none of them have been on a hunger strike. None of them have sacrificed eating. None of them have been with us. For a single day, none of them have asked about our well-being and how we’re doing,” she said.
Members of the SRC were approached by Wits Vuvuzela for comment on this accusation but have yet to respond. Instead, a public statement was issued on February 19, highlighting their solidarity with the strike and “academically deserving students” in need.
As of writing, the unregistered students are on their sixth day of the hunger strike and are hoping for a speedy resolution.
FEATURED IMAGE: Shirt reading: “We will not eat until all unregistered students are registered.” Photo: Siyanda Mthethwa.
In scenes resembling some recent parliamentary sittings, a debate descended into chaos as EFFSC and SASCO hurled insults at each other.
The Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) ‘Political Showdown’ on August 5, 2024, descended into chaos as the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) and South African Student Council (SASCO) heckled each other leading to the event being dismissed abruptly.
The event was held to provide a platform for discussion of SRC’s work in the 2023/24 period.
The panelists included the SRC President, Bukisa Boniswa who is politically affiliated with the EFFSC, Former Treasurer of the SRC, Kabelo Phungwayo who is politically affiliated with SASCO and the EFFSC chairperson, Surprise Mathebula. The facilitators of the event were the SRC Clubs and societies officer Tshepiso Khesa and the Social science student council chairperson, Nombulelo Chiya.
Student populace, EFFsc and SASCO members engaging in a gwijo session. Photo Salim Nkosi
The stage was set by the first question posed to the SRC President which asked, “Why was it not necessary for a student protest action to take place at the beginning of the year when NSFAS students could not register due to outstanding debts?”
Boniswa said the SRC raised R10 million through their fundraising efforts, which was used to help students who needed assistance with registration. She said this was the highest amount ever raised without resorting to protest. Through these funds NSFAS beneficiaries with outstanding or historical debt were able to register this year.
In addition, students with an average of above 50% were assisted with registration. The SRC has also compiled a monthly bursary bible, stacked with opportunities for eligible students.
Moreover, the SRC ensured that all Honours students that applied for the SRC fund this year got funded. Master’s and PhD candidates were considered and advised to apply for assistance through their faculties, which is something that has never occurred.
But these successes were quickly shot down by mostly SASCO student activists who shouted that it was all “lies”. A shouting match ensued to a point where the two groups started challenging each other to a physical fight.
An altercation between students following the SRC Presidents address. Photo: Salim Nkosi
After some calm was restored, Phungwayo took to the podium and challenged some of Boniswa’s key points. The issue that he challenged was the ability to register all NSFAS students that had outstanding and historical debts to the institution. He said according to the financial rules of the institution, bursary funded students are not charged interest.
Furthermore, he said that the government and the NSFAS board have a clear working relationship which works in a way that if one is funded by the government, there is no institution that is supposed to deny them access due to any outstanding fees, whether it is own debt or government debt.
After Phungwayo’s response the ‘showdown’ again descended into a shouting match between the EFFSC and SASCO activists. Facilitators tried hard to restore order to no avail. They were left with no choice but to dismiss the debate and send attendees home without clarity on the matters raised.
FEATURED IMAGE: The chaotic scene at the political showdown debate. Photo: Sanele Sithetho
The PYA has some very strong words for the Student Governance Office after SRC members were moved to the Once in Joburg hostel in Braamfontein.
The Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) has declared the Student Governance Office (SGO) an “enemy of the student revolution on campus” following what it claims was the forced removal of members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) from university accommodation on Sunday, January 20.
In a statement released on Twitter, the PYA, which won 12 of the 13 seats in the SRC election last year, condemned what it called just “one of the many ills” committed by the Student Governance Office against the SRC after members of the student body were moved from Medhurst Hall of Residence and Highfield Cluster in Parktown to the Once in Joburg hostel in Braamfontein rather than a different university residence.
SRC treasurer general Keneuwe Fetai told Wits Vuvuzela that they were informed that they would be removed from these university residences on Saturday, January 19, but were under the impression that the SGO would find them accommodation on campus for Orientation Week.
“Because some residence students would be returning this week, we were told that we’d be moved. But Student Governance claims no one on campus wanted to accommodate us. So we were moved to the Once in Joburg hotel in Braamfontein. They told us we were there by circumstance.
“We want to move out as soon as possible. It is putting us in a bad light. We are supposed to help students with their accommodation plight but we are here in a hotel. How does that look?”
Manager of the SGO, Jabu Mashinini, denied claims that SRC members were forcibly removed from university residences.
“The SRC was not kicked out of the vacation accommodation/residence, but had to vacate to allow the residence personnel to prepare for the first years and returning students.”
Fetai, a fourth-year BEd student, told Wits Vuvuzela that around 30 members of the SRC members and sub-committees were housed at the Braamfontein hostel but fear that they will be removed soon and will have nowhere to stay. She says that they are disappointed at the lack of assistance from the university.
“If the university supported us they would fight for us. It doesn’t make sense, we are the SRC and we are staying at a hotel.”
Chairperson of the South African Student Congress branch at Wits, Mpendulo Mfeka, said that the removal of the SRC was “counterproductive” as the body needed to be in close proximity to students on campus. He said that the PYA’s statement reflected the souring relationship between the SRC and the SGO.
“It is very reckless from Student Governance. They are not doing as much as they are supposed to do for the student body. Student Governance is supposed to assist the SRC so they can continue with their operations. But, according to Governance, no one wants anything to do with the SRC.”
Mashinini has replied to the statement released by the PYA, saying “The PYA is entitled to its opinion, Student Governance has an amiable and professional relationship with the SRC and does not make decisions unilaterally without consulting the SRC.”
Orientation Week is scheduled to begin in a few days, on Monday, January 28.
FEATURED IMAGE: The Once in Joburg hostel in Braamfontein is currently home to SRC members who were “forcibly” moved from university residences at the weekend. Photo: Tshego Mokgabudi
The Progressive Youth Alliance has recently been the target of a sudden occurrence of graffiti on campus.
The graffiti in front of the Nunnery and next to the Wits Arts Museum has anti-PYA connotations. The artwork is painted in red with a drawing of an AK-47 and the letters PYA. It is next to graffiti saying “Steve Biko lives” and other graffiti says “F*** police”. Some near Solomon Mahlangu House was painted over.
When asked by Wits Vuvuzela about the graffiti, PYA chairperson Mpendulo Mfeka was shocked: “We did not know of any graffiti and it’s the first time I am seeing it.”
“I interpret it in my own way, to me it’s an aggressive form of graffiti. Because whoever drew that thing is probably not a PYA member. ’Cause you can’t draw an AK and then next to it draw a PYA sign. So you are literally saying shoot down the PYA. This is news to us,” said Mfeka.
“It’s an issue which has to be handled by not only political activists but by the Wits community at large,” he said.
“We take note that these walls are again cleaned by our very own parents, workers, who we try to fight for year in, year out, that they must be insourced, so on and so forth. At the same time we create chaotic work for them, so you painting a wall, is not only a problem to the PYA, it becomes a problem to society,” said Mfeka.
THE WALLS HAVE WORDS: Writing on the walls in Jorrisson street Photo: Nokuthula Zwane
Reports surfaced during last year’s #FeesMustFall student protests and the SRC Elections that the leadership of the PYA was on rocky ground.
“There was some misunderstanding from the public or the Wits community at large, to say that there were fights within the PYA about who must be this and who must be that. If you remember at some point there was a rumour saying that SRC people have resigned,” said Mfeka.
However, Mfeka dismissed all reports and told Wits Vuvuzela that the “PYA is well organised”.
Early last year the university condemned offensive graffiti on campus, whether political or social.
“It has come to our attention that a small group of students are deliberately spraying offensive graffiti on walls on Wits’ campuses and on T-shirts,” a statement said.
According to the university, it is forced to clean the offensive graffiti which comes at a huge cost to the university and these are funds which could have been spent on financial aid.
The university said it would take action against anyone caught defacing university property or spraying graffiti on walls not designated for this purpose.
Wits Chief Operations Officer Fana Sibanyoni said “Wits has approved graffiti walls on the Braamfontein East and West campuses.”
“These are: the white wall outside the matrix, the tunnel linking the East and West Campus (near the traffic circle) and the white wall between PIMD and Chalsty Centre. Permission to use these designated spaces must be sought from Student Affairs,” said Sibanyoni.
The Student Representative Council (SRC) has announced its new leaders after a meeting on Thursday night.
“We have constituted! Your #PYA15 are officially the incoming SRC 2016/17,” the Wits Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) tweeted on Friday afternoon.
Last month the PYA won all fifteen seats to lead in the incoming SRC. Friday’s announcement comes after reports of infighting between two factions which wanted different presidents.
Kefentse Mkhari was elected to lead the SRC with David Manabile serving as secretary general.
SCROLL DOWN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW SRC EXECUTIVE
WITSMED, a medical aid programme for workers, has drawn criticism from workers because of its expense. Although the university agrees that the scheme has problems they cannot reform it due to the threat of legal action.
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