Wits Executive releases fees announcement statement
The Senior Executive Team of Wits has released a statement pertaining to the fees announcement made by Blade Nzimande this morning.
ASAWU releases fee increase statement
The Academic Staff Association of Wits University has released a statement regarding the announcement by Blade Nzimande on fees for 2017.
Minister delays fees announcement
The Minister of Higher Education and Training was expected to make an important announcement about fees today.
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”.
Black academics struggle with transformation
The topic about Transformation in South African Universities emerged early this year when UCT students called for the removal of Cecil John Rhodes statue. However, it has spread through various issues such as transforming the curriculum and lack of black academics.
Panel discussion that was held last month by the Transformation Office. The discussion was centered around the Diversification process of Wits Academic Staff.
Photo: Anelisa Tuswa
ONLY one in every seven academic staff members at Wits University is a black African from South Africa according to information provided by the Wits Transformation Office last month.
By contrast, almost half, about 47%, of South African academic staff are white.
Prof Tawana Kupe, the Wits deputy vice chancellor overseeing transformation, said the university’s transformation problems were not obvious ones such as an incident where white students at the University of Free State made a video that depicted the humiliation of black cleaning staff .
Rather, the race and transformation issues facing Wits and other universities was “a reflection of a structural problem,” Kupe said during a recent talk hosted by the Wits Transformation Office.
He added that the problem of transformation was also “an indication of subliminal racism”. “Nobody tells you to go away,” Kupe said, “but you do not feel comfortable being in that space.” The issue of the lack of transformation at tertiary institutions is back in the spotlight and at Wits University with many students calling for change and worrying about their careers as black academics.
“Lack of black academics in higher education speaks to some of the structural challenges that face black people within academia”
Thato Masiangoako, of Transform Wits, told Wits Vuvuzela that the lack of black academics in higher education “speaks to some of the structural challenges that face black people within academia”. “It reflects the wider structural challenges faced by black students who often don’t even have the luxury of choosing academia as a career path.”
Masiangoako believes this was “because the demands of having to provide (for family needs) makes the workplace far more attractive”.
Bandile Ngidi, MComm student, self-identifi es as a potential future academic but is wary of the challenges he faces. Ngidi believes an academic career cannot compare to a job in the private sector. “Considering the issues of black tax and the chances of a slighter, quicker career progression in the private sector.”
Ngidi adds that “mentorship and supervision”, is another stumbling block to potential black academics. “Sometimes I feel like we not being mentored by supervisors who are interested, or experienced enough to explore some topics,” he said, adding as an example race issues.
“Transforming an institution cannot be reduced to running a one man show”
In the discussion hosted by the Wits Transformation Office, Nontsikelelo Sondzaba, a lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences, told the audience about her first day as a black lecturer at Wits. “I was mistaken to be somebody’s secretary,” she said.
Sondzaba told Wits Vuvuzela that “transforming an institution cannot be reduced to running a one man show,” and that “each and every one of us has a role to play.”
“Student experiences must be constructive such that, as graduates, they consider Wits as one of the preferred employers,” Sondzaba said. Kupe told Wits Vuvuzela that the university has various programmes to try and address issues of transformation and this includes the Vice-Chancellor’s Employment Equity Fund.
“We used that (fund) to hire people [from designated groups] who are highly qualifi ed,” he said. Another measure involves ensuring that when people retire, half of those spaces is reserved for the appointment of black academics. Athi-
Nangamso Nkopo, a Wits Masters’ graduate did not find the lack of black academics shocking but rather “unacceptable”. “Transformation isn’t slow at this rate, as we are so often told,” she said “It is deliberately hindered.”
“Wits Management Must Fall”
A group of student organisations marched against the management of Wits University following the removal of SRC president Mcebo Dlamini.
Wits students and Progressive Youth Alliance members, carrying banners, sing their way to Senate House earlier today.
Photo: Reuven Blignault
“Run!” was the messaged delivered by provincial deputy secretary of the South African Students Congress (SASCO) Joy Phiri.
“No vice chancellor can tell us who our president is,” Phiri said. “Reinstate our President,” she said in reference to dismissed Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Mcebo Dlamini.
Dlamini later addressed the gathering and started by introducing himself as “Wits SRC president”.
He told the students that the problems the march was addressing were not about him.
“It has nothing to do with me as a person but everything this institution stands for,” Dlamini said.
“If I was a white president, I wouldn’t be charged today,” he added.
“It’s like the rules aren’t even applied across the board to everyone,” she said.
Nthabiseng Molefe, one of the students who helped to organise the event, the purpose of the march was to “challenge management”.
The challenges included the immediate review of Dlamini’s case, reinstatement to the position as Wits SRC President and a look at the situtation of the MJL Electrical workers.
MJL Electrical Workers
Speaking on behalf of the MJL Electrical workers, Richard Ndebele told the crowd that they wrote a letter to the vice chancellor expressing their feelings about how the University handled “their situation”.
View photos of today’s march |
Ndebele told Wits Vuvuzela that the response to this email was “contents noted.” MJL Electrical was a contractor of Wits University which made its employees “outsourced” workers. The workers have been unemployed since the University terminated its contract with the company.
“We are starving,” said Ndebele, during his address at the march. “These people cannot support their families.”
A 2nd year BCom Law student, Lebo (who did not want to give her surname), said, “a lot of students are frustrated with the way the University is dealing with certain situations”.
Handing over the memorandum to the Dean of Students Dr Pamela Dube, Molefe said Dube was not “allowed to speak” but she must “act”.
Witsies divided over Dlamini
DEEP DIVISION: Witsies remain divided over the reasons for the axing of SRC President Mcebo Dlamini. Photo: Wits Vuvuzela.
There have been mixed reactions at Wits University the removal of the SRC (Student Representative Council) president Mcebo Dlamini by the vice chancellor, Adam Habib last week.
Wits University found itself at the centre of the nation’s attention last week as a result of the comments made by Wits SRC president, Mcebo Dlamini. But on campus, student reactions were divided over the reasons for the subsequent axing of Dlamini.
The announcement, signed by the vice chancellor (VC) regarding Dlamini’s removal was sent through the Wits email system to all members of the Wits community, earlier this week. According to the statement though, Dlamini’s “I Love Hitler” post on Facebook, was not the reason for Dlamini’s removal. Instead, the email said, the decision was based on the fact that “Mr Dlamini was found guilty of misconduct”.
Despite the vice chancellor’s clarification about the reasons for the dismissal, many students remain sceptical.
Mzwanele Ntswanti, 3rd year Actuarial Science, does not believe that the sacking of Dlamini is a “coincidence” as it followed after the Hitler statement.
A 3rd year BSc student, who did not want to be named, told Wits Vuvuzela that he is aware of the reasons behind Dlamini’s sacking.
But added, “I highly disapprove of the vice chancellors decision to depose our democratically elected student representative.”
“Wits University is not an autocracy nor is it a high school where student representatives are appointed and sacked by one person,” he said.
Tom Dodson, 3rd year Bachelor of Arts, agrees with the VC’s decision to remove Dlamini. “A lot of the statements that he (Dlamini) made, made a lot of sense.”
However, Dodson said, “if you going represent the entire student community … You’ve really gotta think a lot harder about what you say and how you say it”.
Thembelihle Mbalu, told Wits Vuvuzela that she “supports the Habib’s decision without reservation” because Dlamini is “very defiant”.
“Mcebo was long overdue as our President.” She added, “he has been irrelevant in his addresses to students, talking about bias issues and narrow-minded opinions.”
Nivek Ranjith, a 2nd year Computer Science student, thinks the way that the VC announced Dlamini’s removal was “rude”.
“The way he did it, they gave so much detail … you can’t expose him like that,” Ranjith said.
Wits Vuvuzela journalist attacked on campus
A Wits Vuvuzela reporter was attacked on campus earlier today as she attempted to take photographs at a march against xenophobia.
Anlerie de Wet was taking photographs at an anti-xenophobia march organised by Wits EFF outside the Matrix building on the east campus of Wits University earlier today when she was confronted by a group of Wits EFF supporters.
The Journalism Honours students says a female supporter grabbed her around her wrist “trying to grab the camera out of my hand camera”, as other supporters rushed towards her. “A male student reached from behind, and smacked my head,” she added.
“They said I’m not allowed to take photos,” De Wet said.
When she questioned why not, she says she was told that she did not ask for permission to take pictures of the march and “because I am white”.
ALSO READ: “You fucking whities”
Mbe Mbhele, secretary of Wits EFF confirmed that a confrontation with De Wet took place but said “there was no physical attack on her”. He said, “the journalist just took a picture of us without asking for permission”.
“When we asked her who she is, why she did not ask for permission, she said this is a public space and that is when the confrontation started,” Mbhele said.
ON CAMERA: This is the last photograph Anlerie De Wet managed to take at the march outside the Matrix before EFF supporters tried take her camera from her. Photo: Anlerie De Wet.
Another Wits student, Ayanda Kunene, witnessed the Wits EFF supporters trying to take the camera from De Wet.
“She (Wits EFF supporter) grabbed the camera, wanting to take it away,” Kunene said.
Quintus Dirks, who also witnessed the incident, said, “I saw three EFF members, one grabbed the journalist’s camera … threatening to smack it”.
In a series of tweets this evening, the Wits EFF account tweeted: “We will not allow any media 2 (sic) take pictures of us without our permission … its against the law. No amount of reports you use will change that”.
“This is poor journalism and misrepresentation of the truth. You can do better really!”, another tweet read.
De Wet has reported the incident to Wits Campus Control.
Wits marches in solidarity for Garissa
NATIONAL PRIDE: Kenyans and supporters of the Kenyan Solidarity March today walk proudly with the Kenya flag at Wits University earlier today. Photo by: Reuven Blignault
Wits University staff and students, led by vice-chancellor, Professor Adam Habib, marched in silence across the campus today in solidarity with those affected by the massacre of 147 Kenyan students at Garissa University College earlier this month.
Close to 700 people, most dressed in black and with candles in their hands, marched from the FNB Building on west campus to the steps of the Great Hall around lunchtime. Violet Molefe, the chairperson of Amnesty International-Wits, one of the organisers of the event, said the purpose of the march was not only to stand in solidarity with Kenya but also to introduce a new struggle for the youth of the African continent.
| FACEBOOK: VIEW PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT |
“As we march, we stand in solidarity with the students from Kenya,” she said. “All of the time you see students being angry, this is time to rise up as young leadership, not let the past generations to fix our problems,” Molefe added.
South African celebrity Gerry Elsdon told Wits Vuvuzela that the gathering reminded her of South Africa in the 1970s. “We lived in the life of fear in the 1970s and 80s for different reasons, but the fear was the same, this event took me back into my past.”
“This is not the future that we want for our children,” said Elsdon.
“Today we stand as Africans, we are all the students of Garissa” Dr Jane Wathuta, a Kenyan post-doctoral fellow at Wits believes that students should look out for each other and the march was a positive sign that they are doing this.
Wathuta said, “We should not allow ourselves to be indifferent, we can’t think that this has nothing to do with me.”
Professor Habib, who addressed the crowd, said “today we stand as Africans, but we also stand also stand as part of the University community, and as part of common humanity”.
“White, Black, Muslim, Christian, Jew and any other religion, of all ethnic backgrounds today we are not Wits students, we not South Africans, we not Africans only, we are all the students of Garissa University,” he said.
Jane Wanguo, a Kenyan PhD student in African Literature, the massacre was painful beyond words and could only say “pole sana”, (I’m sorry), to the people of Kenya.
147 people, mostly students were brutally massacred on April 2 when Al-Shabaab militants invaded the Garissa University College campus, in in Kenya. El-Shabbab, a militant group, has claimed responsibility for the killings and Kenyan authorities claim to have captured and killed all the attackers.
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- Wits Vuvuzela, Daring dash saves life of Garissa student, April 2015.
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- Wits Vuvuzela, Attack on Kenyan University leaves at least 70 dead, April 2015.
Esselen residents occupy Res Life to be heard
Residents of Esselen Residence occupied Residence Life Offices in Park Town, with a memorandum of grievance, on Friday.
According to the House committee members, Head of Residence life Rob Sharman made various promises and one of them include a resolution about the building next to Esselen and the closing of Esselen Street, after a shooting that occurred last year in Esselen.
ARC President Mxolisi Sopiseka handing over the Memorandum to the head of Residence Life Rob Sharman.
“Last year there was a shooting, even Habib and Pamela Dube came to Esselen to listen to us, but nothing has been done since then” said Thero Montwedi, Vice-Chairperson of the house committee.
Precious Maseto told Wits Vuvuzela that “the problem is not Hillbrow, but the building next to Esselen” she said “that building is dirty, their sewage system passes through Esselen”.
“I don’t know if it’s because we are staying in Hillbrow that we are subjected to such conditions, we are also Wits Res Students”
Florence building making life for Esseleners, a living hell
According to the students, Florence building (the building next to Esselen residence) has made their living conditions a living hell and their study environment very unfavourable.
“The environment is not conducive for learning, in the study room there’s sewage dropping from the building from next-door” said Montwedi “I don’t know if it’s because we are staying in Hillbrow that we are subjected to such conditions, we are also Wits Res Students” he said.
Luyanda Mgidlana said “the main problem is the building at the back, the sewage and the crime comes with it”.
When the memorandum was being read out to Sharman, house members started shouting, showing their dissatisfaction with the fact that it did not include the inconveniencies caused by the new bus schedule.
Dissatisfaction with bus service
“I Esselen ayinama Directi!” shouted one person from the crowd, saying Esselen has no direct bus.
Majority of the students are Education students and the new bus system has caused a lot of inconveniences.
“The bus picks up people from Education campus, drop them at Esselen then goes to Amic Deck, after it picked up people at Esselen, rather than going back to Education Campus again” said Lerato, Esselens safety and security officer.
Head of Residence life, Sharman has refused to issue a public statement.
He said “it would be ethically unwise to make a public statement, until we have responded in writing to the students on their memorandum”
The Chairperson of All Resident Council (ARC) and Esselen, Mxolisi Sopiseka told Wits Vuvuzela that the purpose of the march was to make students aware of Esselen and its problems, as it is not an Esselen Problem but a residence issue.
“Students get affected, whether they stay at Esselen or not” he said “you find people who get excluded at Junction and Noswal moving to Esselen”.
“Even those who stayed at Esselen for four years, if you ask them if they applied to Esselen one thing you would find that is common is that they never applied” he said “we all went to Esselen because of circumstances”.
SRC President Mcebo Dlamini, addressed the residence of Esselen and said “we are told it is a privilege to be at University, thus we must obey?” he said “enough is enough, this is not a protest but a rock up”.
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