Fort Hare students to meet on varsity impasse

University of Fort Hare students at the Alice campus are scheduled to have a mass meeting this afternoon.

Campus premier Lwandile Mgedezi told DispatchLive that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a way forward regarding the protest.

Academic activities have ground to a halt at the campus since last week.

Students are demanding vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu to come and receive their memorandum of grievances, a call he has defied.

Students have expressed different views on the university Facebook with some saying they want to return to class while others say they will not return to class until Buhlungu has come to them.

Mgedezi said a decision to return or continue with the protest will be determined by the outcome of the mass meeting.

"We will take a mandate from students. They will decide when the protest should continue or we should go back to class," he said.

Last night the protesting students set alight a staff centre and slaughtered a cow they found on campus.

Last week they caused a R1.9-million worth of damage when vandalised university property.

They looted stock like laptops and stationery.