Walter Sisulu University reopens after two-week violent protests

Walter Sisulu University has this morning announced the reopening of its Mthatha campus.

The campus had been closed for the past two weeks after a protest over NSFAS allowances turned violent.

Students were then ordered to vacate the university premises. 

In a letter by the university vice-chancellor,  Rob Midgley, address to the “Mthatha campus community”, the campus will reopen on Thursday.

He said he believed the situation on the campus was now conducive for academic activity to recommence.

“Staff are requested to continue performing their duties as they have done this week. Students will be allowed back onto the campus from Thursday and normal academic programme will commerce on Monday,” he said.

Midgley said for the past week there had been interaction between various stakeholders - management, SRC, parents and labour.

“Following  a successful meeting on Tuesday, I have been informed that students have agreed to adhere to university rules and regulations and to refrain from continuing to disrupt the academic programme on the Mthatha campus,” he said, adding that students had lost a lot of academic time and any further disruption might have disastrous consequences for their academic ambitions.

“I trust that everyone will work hard to ensure that this will be avoided. I have requested the campus management to monitor the situation closely. Hopefully, the situation will remain stable,” he said.