Protest at NMU short-lived
The eleven Nelson Mandela University (NMU) students arrested by the Public Order Policing unit (Pop) on Wednesday 15 August for contempt of court and obstructing the entrance to the university, were released on a warning on Friday 17 August. The police were called in late afternoon and arrested the nine females and two males, aged 18 to 28, in terms of the court interdict the university obtained during the #Fees Must Fall protest in October 2015. During Wednesday's protest two students spoke to the George Herald on condition of anonymity, saying that many first-year students haven't received the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding they applied for.
"We were told that our applications had been successful and based on this we came to university. Now we can't get meal vouchers or text books, we are hungry and feel lost in class without text books." They acknowledged that there are administration problems with NSFAS nationally.
The desperate students felt they had to do something to highlight their plight. "Nobody seems to be listening to us, so we took action knowing that the authorities would then have to pay attention."
Acting campus principal David Alexander said, "We feel for the students and we are helping where we can, but our hands are tied in terms of funding."
The students started gathering at the main gate at around 04:00 last Wednesday. For most of the day nearly 200 students blocked the entrance, singing and toy-toying. Repeated attempts by senior university officials to get them to call off the protest were unsuccessful.
George police communications officer Sgt Michael Opperman said, "The case is under investigation by the office of the Public Unrest Investigation Unit."
The students' next court appearance is on Friday 23 November.