Students shutdown PE university, accusing administration of breaking agreement

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University students protested outside the university today, closing the entrances to the north and south campuses.

The students were led by the South African Student Congress (Sasco), Sasco claimed that the university was not abiding by an agreement reached last year during the #FeesMustFall protests. In particular, Sasco claims that many poor students were being barred from starting the second semester because they had not paid their outstanding fees for the first semester.

The statement said, “Students [are] unable to add modules for the second semester due to outstanding funds of the first semester. The students results are being withheld …”. Sasco also said students were being evicted from their residents as a result of having outstanding fees.

The students sang revolutionary songs and vehicles were stopped from entering both campuses.

Students also said the university had failed to implement insourcing of services as agreed during last year’s negotiations.

Athengosi Bhangushe, 22, the Sasco branch secretary said, “The issue now is that debt relief has turned into a debt trap for the students. We told the university in January that we didn’t have money, so where do we get the money now?”

Athengosi added “We also have workers among us. One of the victories of #FeesMustFall was to do away with outsourcing, There are people within the university who are deliberately fumbling with the process. These people are actually turning their backs on council resolutions. The R5,000 a month minimum wage that was agreed upon is not being followed. We still have workers getting R3,500 as their pay. The workers include security guards, kitchen staff and groundspeople. They are not being accorded the benefits office workers are getting.”

One worker who asked not to have his name published said they are still working under the same conditions as those of last year. He said “We are still being subjected to draconian conditions.We don’t enjoy any benefits like medical aid. We are grateful to students for their solidarity with us.”

A student from Limpopo said her parents were excited last year when they were told that their debt had been cancelled. “I am actually shocked that the university is now demanding me to pay last term’s money. My parents are not working.”

Meanwhile Athengosi vowed that the shutdown would continue until the university addressed the issues .

“We will intensify our mass action because this is the only language that the university understands.”

However, in a written statement Yusuf Cassim, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, accused Sasco of using “intimidation and violence” to close down the university. “This has happened in the middle of exams, and will hurt students, especially those who are poor. Particularly because no students are involved in this protest but rather a few members of SASCO and mostly staff,” Cassim stated. The university’s student representatives’ council is DA-led.

We were unable to get comment from Derby Derry, the university spokeswoman. She did however issue a statement in the morning advising staff and students not to enter the university for their own safety.

This article was updated after publication with Yusuf Cassim’s comment.

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