Protesting Wits students declare ‘ceasefire’

It’s been a week since students took to the streets over financial and academic exclusion, as well as access to affordable accommodation.

On Wednesday, the student representative council (SRC) called a media briefing where they announced a 24-hour ceasefire but attached three conditions they want the university to meet.

These include an end to the police’s presence on campus, the removal of external private security on campus, and the lifting of the suspensions against five students and the SRC president Aphiwe Mnyamana.

Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel said some of the students’ conditions were met, while also listing conditions the university set before agreeing to the meeting with the SRC and vice-chancellor Zeblon Valakazi.

“The first demand was that the police be removed from campus, we’ve agreed to that and the police are off campus already. The second is the reduction of private security and we’ve agreed that as things calm down and if there are no infringements and there’s no destruction to property; if things are peaceful and calm; we will reduce the number of protection services people we have gradually.

“We do need to have a commitment from the SRC that will happen. No intimidation, no blocking of entrances and no disruption of lectures, and no damage to property.”

Patel said the university cannot accede to the demand of lifting the suspensions. This comes after SRC deputy president Kamogelo Mabe called for the return of Aphiwe Mnyamana to lead the negotiations.

“We can’t treat SRC people especially, they must be treated like all other students, so they must go through the legal [internal] process on that one,” Patel added.

Mnyamana, who addressed the media outside the university gates, accused the university of negotiating in bad faith after the protest stoppage came at their request. He said the VC is still not amenable to speaking with the students or the mediators that include Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Nsfas chairperson Ernest Khosa.

Mnyamana insisted no meeting will take place without him.

“If the vice chancellor is to meet with us, he must meet all of us. He won’t choose to meet this one and not that one. Everyone who was in the protest, everyone who is an SRC member. Because as SCR members the department of higher education says we are a constitutional body. We are not a sub-body of Wits.”

Mnyamana and his deputy have vowed to mobilise students again on Thursday, should the meeting not materialise.

NOWHERE TO CALL HOME

Wits third-year law student and member of the SRC Samora Mbambi said she’s been left homeless while waiting for a response on her funding appeal with Nsfas.

“Due to my academic ineligibility, I was defunded because I was facing a violent crime so I couldn’t attend my exam. I have submitted my appeal documents, and the necessary case numbers. Since I submitted my appeal in January, we are now in the fourth week of block one.

“Since then, I have been sleeping in my office. I don’t have accommodation and my mom is barely able to send me money for food.”

Mbambi said the 500 beds that the university availed for distressed students is not enough.

“It’s part of what we are demanding. We are saying that the university, through the hardship accommodation fund, should increase the beds. The number of students that we have are over a thousand.”

Meanwhile, Patel said management remains committed to assisting and supporting deserving students.

“We negotiated with some of the major service providers in Braamfontein, at least we have enough beds now. They’ve agreed to abide by the Nsfas cap of R45,000 cap and that students don’t have to pay a deposit at all. The second is that we have dropped the R10,000 fee for Wits residences and emergency accommodation, we’ve increased beds from 150 to 500 but the students are asking for 1,000 – the demands are shifting all the time but we’ll do our best to accommodate as many students in need.”

The SRC has maintained its rejection of the concessions made by the university following a senior executive team meeting over the weekend.