Walter Sisulu University’s Buffallo City Campus rector, Dr Cawe Novukela, has allegedly given university management and student leaders contradicting statements over the disruptions at the campus.
University spokesperson Yonela Tukwayo told the Dispatch on Tuesday that Novukela had told her that he had not escalated the matter to the vice-chancellor (professor Rob Midgely), “because they have dealt with the issues of the BC campus SRC, as a campus and as campus management”.
Meanwhile, Buffalo City Campus premier Sipho Sizani said Novukela refused to call a campus meeting on Monday, saying even if the meeting was held, no final decision would be taken without the VC.
Sizani said the reason they had resolved to engage with the institutional management committee was because the campus management committee was unable to make any decisions.
He said their attempts to have their issues resolved at a campus level had failed.
“Nothing has been resolved,” Sizani said.
“If the campus management committee had resolved our issues, we would be wanting to meet with the VC.”
Tukwayo confirmed that there were minor disruptions on campus, “but the campus was never totally shutdown even when there was disturbances, [and] staff members carried on working until the end of the working day”.
Tukwayo said the VC was not avoiding meeting with students, “but student leaders are aware that when there are campus issues, the campus rector is the ultimate authority on the campus who makes those decisions”.
On Thursday, student leadership, together with a group of students who were temporarily accommodated at Potsdam’s site, were evicted by police.
The students are now marching from the Orient Theatre, where they slept, to The Heritage site in East London, where Novukela is said to hold a meeting.
Sizani said they wanted Novukela to address them.
He said classes were scheduled to resume on Monday, “but until now, not a single student has been allocated accommodation”.
Novukela refused to comment and referred the Dispatch to Tukwayo.