Efforts by University of Fort Hare to complete its mid-year examinations failed yesterday when striking university workers disrupted examinations by blasting vuvuzelas and playing thumping music from their cars.
Nehawu members at the Alice and East London campuses held pickets outside the exam venues, forcing the university to cancel yesterday’s exams, during the sixth week of the trade union’s strike.
UFH spokesman Khotso Moabi said the university had to determine through legal avenues whether the striking workers had contravened a court interdict barring them from encroaching within 100m of the campus.
“We had to cancel this morning’s [Tuesday] paper because of the noise made by Nehawu members, who we believe are exercising their rights by picketing outside the university.“However we sought legal assistance so that we could explore other options with the workers on how to demonstrate but allow the university to continue with the examination process.
“The university has called off today's exams because of the disruption by the Nehawu members,” said Moabi.By midday the university and the striking workers at the East London campus had agreed that workers would only picket in front of the Nkuhlu Building a few metres away from the examination venues.
The workers agreed that they would not use any “vuvuzelas” or play loud music from their cars.
Moabi said the noise level at the East London campus prevented students from continuing with their exams, but if the same agreement was not reached at Alice, the university would also face a serious challenge.
Yesterday, students held their own meeting and were apparently planning to ask management of the university to abandon the last leg of exams and "donate" marks to the students.
SRC secretary Thulie Rubu-she said the students wanted the university and the staff to resolve their impasse fast so that they could continue with their academic programme.
“We demand that the university provides safe exam venues.
“We also hope that the university can find alternatives to make sure that we get our results so that we can go and apply for work,” said Rubushe.
Nehawu EL campus shop steward Bulelani Mngxongo said they were not prepared to budge until they got their salary increase of 8% and a notch progression of 1%.
“We have nothing against students progressing with the examination,” said Mngxongo...