Walter Sisulu University students have vowed to continue with protest action over next year’s possible fee increases.
Students at the Mthatha campuses abandoned classes last week and took to the streets, even blocking traffic on the N2 outside campus.
Their protest action led to the postponement of the university’s special exams that should have been written yesterday.
The special exam is written by students in order to qualify for graduation next month.
University management said they did not understand why students had adopted this approach as there has not yet been any decision on fees for next year.
Both student representatives and WSU management met last Friday to discuss the issue, but WSU spokeswoman Yonela Tukwayo said they tried in vain to convince students to suspend mass action, pending government’s decision on the matter.
“(The) majority of our students are not affected by increases because they are funded by NSFAS. We can state, however, that we sympathise with the fee-paying students that genuinely cannot afford university fees but this is a small group at WSU.”
The SRC president for the Buffalo City campus, Thulani Landu, said the students were not ready to back down until the institution assured them of a process that would ensure a solution could be found for the university’s internal issues and national fee increase.
The SRC said it would consider waiting for the outcome of the fee commission in their classrooms if the university resolved their internal issues.
On Friday last week, 10 students from the institution, including the SRC president of Ibika campus in Butterworth, were arrested on charges of malicious damage to property. The attorney representing the students, Zuko Tshutshane, said they all appeared in the Butterworth Magistrate’s court yesterday.
“The students have been released on warning and they will be back in court on September 30,” Tshutshane said.
Tukwayo said yesterday students at three of their campuses were still on strike.
“The management is scheduled to have another meeting with all SRC members with the aim of persuading them to call off the strike. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
WSU students vow fees protests
Students at the Mthatha campuses abandoned classes last week and took to the streets, even blocking traffic on the N2 outside campus.
Their protest action led to the postponement of the university’s special exams that should have been written yesterday.
The special exam is written by students in order to qualify for graduation next month.
University management said they did not understand why students had adopted this approach as there has not yet been any decision on fees for next year.
Both student representatives and WSU management met last Friday to discuss the issue, but WSU spokeswoman Yonela Tukwayo said they tried in vain to convince students to suspend mass action, pending government’s decision on the matter.
“(The) majority of our students are not affected by increases because they are funded by NSFAS. We can state, however, that we sympathise with the fee-paying students that genuinely cannot afford university fees but this is a small group at WSU.”
The SRC president for the Buffalo City campus, Thulani Landu, said the students were not ready to back down until the institution assured them of a process that would ensure a solution could be found for the university’s internal issues and national fee increase.
The SRC said it would consider waiting for the outcome of the fee commission in their classrooms if the university resolved their internal issues.
On Friday last week, 10 students from the institution, including the SRC president of Ibika campus in Butterworth, were arrested on charges of malicious damage to property. The attorney representing the students, Zuko Tshutshane, said they all appeared in the Butterworth Magistrate’s court yesterday.
“The students have been released on warning and they will be back in court on September 30,” Tshutshane said.
Tukwayo said yesterday students at three of their campuses were still on strike.
“The management is scheduled to have another meeting with all SRC members with the aim of persuading them to call off the strike. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
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