Wits students continue with lectures

The majority of students at Wits University are continuing with their lectures but about 40 others are demonstrating over historic debt and the shortage of accommodation.

On Monday, a small group disrupted six lectures. The students are demanding that those who owe less than R100 000 be allowed to register.

However, the university says it can only allow those who owe less than R10 000 to register.

The protesting students have brought their blankets and duvet covers to the Solomon Mahlangu Hall for a camping session. Some are on a hungers strike.

After singing and chanting some are lying on top of their blankets at the centre of the Hall. A handful of others are just standing around with private security guards keeping an eye on them.

Classes are proceeding smoothly.

Meanwhile, calm has been returned to universities across KwaZulu-Natal. This after violence erupted on campuses belonging to the University of KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.

Students are demanding free and quality education for all. They also want students to be allowed to register without having to settle outstanding 2018 fees. Academic activities remain suspended at UKZN and the Durban University of Technology however lectures have resumed at the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in Umlazi, south of Durban.

MUT vice chancellor Enoch Malaza says, students are queuing to submit banking details for NFSAS funding.

“Its calm now, we are having a meeting with all the student bodies, the student parliament. We have addressed most of their challenges and our academic programme has resumed. Most of it was about concessions, which means how do we re-admit students who owe money because they must pay part of their debt in order to be registered for the new year. We don’t want the student debt to accumulate. The other one was around payment for NSFAS allowances and we have since paid those allowances.”

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