UFH class boycott continues

University of Fort Hare students have defied a call by management to commence the academic year and vowed to continue with their class boycott until their accommodation debacle is resolved.

The boycott over accommodation at the university’s East London campus is in its third week.

At the weekend, the management sent an e-mail to students ordering them to return to class yesterday.

The e-mail from university’s interim deputy vice-chancellor of academic affairs, John Hendricks, said the decision to resume the academic programme was taken after a meeting with the student representative council on Friday.

“Manco has given a commitment to assist in procuring accommodation for the remaining qualifying students without accommodation,” Hendricks said.

He added that university vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu had repeatedly said it was highly unfortunate and extremely difficult to make up for lost academic and educational time.

However, in a mass meeting yesterday, students rejected the call and said they would continue with their action until their accommodation demands were met.

Campus premier Kwanele Ntantala said they wanted the matter to be resolved.

“The situation is very bad at the moment, up to six students are sharing a room. That cannot be accepted. We have a crisis, but unfortunately our management is downplaying the whole thing.

Responding to Hendricks’s statement about consulting the SRC, Ntantala wrote on the university’s Facebook page: “We wish to inform you that it is pure lies that we had extensive engagements with them, this is a deliberate lie which intend to divide students.”

Ntantala said that after the mass meeting, students went from one building to the next and chased staff from their workstations.

UFH spokesman Khotso Moabi had not responded to questions at time of writing yesterday.