Calm returns to Unisa campus

CALM has been restored to Unisa’s Sunnyside campus in Pretoria following chaos after prospective students started climbing over the gates to get into the grounds to register for the 2018 academic year.

“Operations are back to normal. We opened early this morning at 8am and students started queueing as early as 5am. There are no disruptions and disturbance,” said university spokesperson Martin Ramotshela.

He said they met students from the EFF and the SA Students Congress (Sasco), who gave them a list of demands. “We are studying the demands.”

They include the cancellation of debt and zero fee registration.

“After we met, they agreed to give us space to deliberate and we will give them feedback,” Ramotshela said.

Dimakatso Mabula, who was registering to study marketing, said she was happy things were back to normal. “Since I got here, things have been going well and the lines have been moving swiftly,” she said.

Chaos erupted at the university when scores of students were unable to apply or register. There was more pandemonium when current and prospective students grew impatient.

The gates had been locked all morning, with the occasional announcement that they would be opened soon. Those waiting were told that only 20 students would be allowed in at a time.

But hours later, the gates were still closed and the students grew restless.

They then jumped over the gates and made their way to the registration hall. – African News Agency/ANA