Wits SRC raises R4m to help students with historical debt to register

The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) at Wits University has confirmed that it has raised almost R4 million to assist students with historical debt to register for the 2021 academic year.

The fundraising campaign is dubbed R21 million in 2021.

SRC president, Mpendulo Mfeka, says they don’t want any student to be excluded from higher education because they owe fees.

“A number of our students aren’t able to register due to historical debt. So we then decided to go on a campaign to raise R21 million in 2021. It’s a campaign that has been ongoing now for two months. NGOs, churches, corporate, civil society and others have donated. So far we have raised about R4 million,” explains Mfeka.

Students struggling to register at the University of the Free State

Some students at the University of the Free State are still struggling to register even though classes have resumed.

Last week, university management met with student leadership to map the way forward. This followed a series of protests over financial exclusions.

Protests at the University of the Free State:

Meanwhile, the principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Africa (Unisa) Professor Puleng Lenkabula says the institution is finalising its registration process for the 2021 academic year.

The process was delayed after Higher Education Minister Blade Ndzimande ordered a decrease in first-year students’ intake and a change in semester arrangements.

The High Court in Pretoria recently dismissed and set aside Ndzimande’s decision that would have compelled the university to reduce its first-year intake by about 20 000 students.

Unisa resumes registration for undergraduate students: