Wits students protest over tuition fee increase

Wits to resume classes on Wednesday

Ahmed Areff, News24

Johannesburg - Academic activities will resume at Wits University on Wednesday, vice-chancellor Adam Habib said.

"The senior executive team of the University of the Witwatersrand and the Students' Representative Council have reached resolution on a series of proposals put forward today," he said in a statement on Monday night.

"In light of this, the academic programme and all university activities will commence on Wednesday, October 28 2015.

"Wits has agreed to postpone the examinations and a new examination timetable will be shared with students before the end of the week."

Earlier on Monday, some students held a short demonstration at the campus, stating that they wanted to head back to classes and write their final exams after President Jacob Zuma announced that tuition fees would not be hiked next year.

However, not all the students were satisfied and some want the protest to continue until their other demands are met.

Some of their demands included a free education for all and an end to the outsourcing of staff and services.

It was understood that more than 4 000 students had signed a petition, calling for the university's academic activities to continue.

Habib released a statement earlier on Monday in which he said management had committed themselves to implementing several measures to get the academic programme back on track.

In the statement, Habib announced a nine-point plan aimed at seeing academic activities returned to normal.

The plan stated:

1. There will be no increase in fees. This means that academic, residence and any other fees will not be increased. The Presidency has agreed to underwrite the cost of this, provided that the university makes some contribution.

2. The university is prepared to address the increase in the upfront fee payment.

3. The university recognises that the protests have adversely affected the ability of students to write their examinations. It therefore commits to restructuring the academic programme and examination timetable.

4. We recognise that outsourcing is an exploitative practice. The university commits to establishing its own internal commission. This is in addition to the president’s commission. The internal commission will be chaired by the chairperson of council and will comprise the chairperson of Finco and representatives from all stakeholders, including students, unions and others. It may also include an independent expert. This commission will investigate the effects of outsourcing services on the university, the cost structures associated with insourcing and possible alternative models.

5. The university undertakes to find financial resources to support the children of all workers employed in currently outsourced services, provided that these children qualify for admission to the university.

6. There will be no disciplinary processes against students who were involved in legitimate forms of protest.

7. The university commits to drawing up a workers’ charter.

8. The university agrees, in principle, to make every effort to resolve any other outstanding issue that the students may want to address in good faith.

9. Should the students agree to these measures, the university will commit to calling a general assembly.

News24
Source
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Wits-to-resume-classes-on-Wednesday-20151026
 
Wits management, SRC reach agreement

Lizeka Tandwa,News24

Johannesburg - An agreement was reached by Wits University's senior management and the Wits SRC to resume all academic programmes on Wednesday, October 28.

Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib said the two bodies reached a resolution on a series of proposals put forward.

"We have agreed to postpone the examinations and a new examination timetable will be shared with students before the end of the week," he said.

Among the agreements was the matter of outsourcing of workers.

Habib said the university recognises that outsourcing is an exploitative practice and a commission would be established to investigate its effects at Wits and possible alternative models. He said that no disciplinary action will be taken against students who were involved in legitimate forms of protest.

In a statement the Wits SRC said: "We note that while our protest to the Union Buildings on 23rd October was partly successful, there remain several questions that the university in particular needs to address. We note that there is uncertainty [over] the 0% increment figure in respect of upfront fee payment and international students’ fees."

Wits SRC said they condemned the politicisation of the student protest.

“We recognise the achievement of the student movement to place on the national agenda the issue of affordable, quality higher education.

"... We further note and strongly condemn the politicisation of our protests as a student body. This protest action was initiated by the Wits Student Representative Council with the sole intention of advancing the student agenda and nothing else. We would like to ensure the student body that this remains our sole premise. Further, we reject any political influences that seek to distract this cause," the statement read.

The University of Pretoria also reached an agreement with student representatives on Monday with UP Vice-Chancellor Cheryl Merle de la Rey saying a formal agreement was signed with all the parties, in which it was agreed that academic activities would resume on Tuesday.


News24
Source
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Wits-management-SRC-reach-agreement-20151027
 
Wits SRC: saints or sell-outs?

Johannesburg - After days of being praised for their bravery and hailed as heroes for spearheading the #FeesMustFall movement, Wits student leaders were on Tuesday morning trashed on social media for being “sell-outs”.

This after members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) and management reached an agreement that will allow Wits to reopen for classes on Wednesday, putting an end to the shutdown.

Hailing Monday night’s resolutions as “an initial victory”, SRC members acknowledged that while they had won “a great battle, the war for free education continues with a renewed strategy”.

The university heeded a call not to increase tuition and residence fees next year, with an undertaking that the upfront payment of R9 340 for 2016 would be discussed further.

Soon after the announcement, some students took to Twitter, accusing the SRC - specifically the current president Shaeera Kalla and president-elect Nompendulo Mkhatshwa - of accepting money from the ANC to end the shutdown, while others tweeted in their defence.

An image surfaced on Twitter from @WitsFMF of a page allegedly ripped out of the SRC president’s diary that lists the Progressive Youth Alliance’s meeting agenda.

One line read: “Karabo -> 40K”, which @MissMadiba interpreted as bribe money.

However, another line on the same page says: “Funding (Shaka & alumni & Gift of the Givers).”

Gift of the Givers has donated large amounts of food to the protesting students.
Click to expand...

More at http://beta.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/wits-src-saints-or-sell-outs-1936495
 
I don't agree with the SRC excluding Shaeera from decision making but damn it woman! Free education can wait!
 
Woke up to find out that Wits main campus was set alight overnight. This is absolutely cowardly and stupid. And these are people acting on their own accord because even the student leaders who want the protest to continue are pissed. Whether they like it or not, we're going to school today. So now this protest has gone from it being a joke that there are 100-200 protesters to there actually being 100-200 protesters messing up a good thing.
 
SammyD said:
Woke up to find out that Wits main campus was set alight overnight. This is absolutely cowardly and stupid. And these are people acting on their own accord because even the student leaders who want the protest to continue are pissed. Whether they like it or not, we're going to school today. So now this protest has gone from it being a joke that there are 100-200 protesters to there actually being 100-200 protesters messing up a good thing.
Click to expand...

That sucks... Just heard cars too?
 
Wits targeted by overnight fires

JOHANNESBURG – Wits University has confirmed that a number of fires were started on its Braamfontein campus overnight, with at least two vehicles torched and an attempt to set alight a bookshop in the student centre.

The university says academic activities will resume today and has condemned, what it says are cowardly acts of vandalism.

The institution says it's studying surveillance footage to determine who’s behind the arson and says it's too early to say if it's linked to a group of students who want the protests over fees to continue.
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More at http://ewn.co.za/2015/10/28/Multiple-fires-started-at-Wits-overnight
 
The SRC and the students created a runaway train. No stopping it now.
 
Time for the live ammo.

Students created a monster. As predicted.
 
Sinbad said:
Time for the live ammo.

Students created a monster. As predicted.
Click to expand...

Students or the ANC? This whole thing should have been stopped a long time ago. And every time one of their demands are met, they come up with 10 new even crazier demands. IT will never stop until the Government says enough. People need to learn that you cannot just protest and expect to get anything you want. Sure, if you have a legitimate issue, have a peaceful protest to raise awareness. But as soon as it becomes violent, and you issue threats about making a city ungovernable, you need to be taught a lesson.
 
furpile said:
Students or the ANC? This whole thing should have been stopped a long time ago. And every time one of their demands are met, they come up with 10 new even crazier demands. IT will never stop until the Government says enough. People need to learn that you cannot just protest and expect to get anything you want. Sure, if you have a legitimate issue, have a peaceful protest to raise awareness. But as soon as it becomes violent, and you issue threats about making a city ungovernable, you need to be taught a lesson.
Click to expand...

i see what you did there
 
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