Durban university protest halted after agreement

An agreement has been reached between the Students Representative Council (SRC) and management of the Durban University of Technology (DUT). They were locked in a meeting for most of the day, trying to address student grievances.

DUT spokesperson, Nomonde Mbadi, says they have agreed on a process to assist students with outstanding debt. Students want a debt of R175 million to be rolled over; R72 million of the debt was incurred during the 2007 academic year.

Management decided to shut down the institution after students clashed with police and security personnel. Property was damaged and a number of students were injured. Now the university and SRC have agreed that lessons should continue, while discussions continue around the issue of fees.

The institution says there won't be a blanket rollover of fees. It says students with outstanding fees will be assisted, based on their academic performance.

However, SRC President, Musa Zondi, says they have only suspended the protest action for now. He says there are a number of issues that still need to be resolved. Zondi says they will meet with management tomorrow to discuss transportation for students.