Wits students hold staff, other students hostage on campus

Abrupt action traumatises relatives outside the gates

A little girl clung on her father and wept uncontrollably for her mother who was behind a locked gate at Wits University’s Parktown campus in Johannesburg last night as students would not allow her to leave the premises.

A group of students allegedly protesting over lack of accommodation at the education campus locked the gates and prevented people from entering or leaving the campus. Some students who had been outside when the lockdown began, were also refused entry, despite their pleas that they stayed at the campus.

Parents, husbands and wives who had come to collect their relatives also waited outside in the cold evening as protest leaders refused to open the gates.

“Please let me go, you can see that my child is crying, please,” pleaded the mother to a student leader who was manning the pedestrian gate. The woman’s husband told the student they were committing a crime by holding people hostage.

However, the student leader would not budge, saying if he opened for one person he would have to set everyone free.

“Where should we go? Where do you expect us to sleep if you won’t open the gate,” asked the students.

Later, three other student leaders came and opened the gate for the woman whose child was crying outside.

Shortly after that the gates were opened for everybody.

Students and staff said they had been locked inside the campus since 3pm.

There were four police vans stationed outside the gate but the officers kept their distance all the time.

Wits spokeswoman, Shirona Patel, said it was not clear what the protest was about.

“They have not given us any grievances. We think its about NSFAS [National Student Financial Aid Scheme], bursaries and accommodation.

“They did not have a memorandum,” said Patel.