Students chase Habib from church
PROTESTING Wits students yesterday called vice-chancellor Adam Habib a “sinner” who should not be allowed at the “holy premises” of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Braamfontein, saying he had jailed one of their leaders, Mcebo Dlamini.
This was after eminent individuals, including former public protector Thuli Madonsela and the founding general secretary of Cosatu, Jay Naidoo, were set to meet the students in an attempt to strike a peace accord at the troubled institution.
The peace accord, called for by Wits academics, was to launch dialogue for unity and coalition-building to fund and save all public universities in South Africa.
But when students entered the church, they discovered that Habib was among those with whom they would be interacting. Some students opted to leave, and emotions ran high.They chanted “Habib Must Fall” and sang a vernacular song, I hate Habib.
One of the student leaders, Busisiswe Seabe, said Habib had ignored students’ pleas to remove police officers from the campus.
“We will not be ambushed by Habib at our own meeting. Habib is a sinner and should not be at the church’s grounds,” she said.
Habib had to leave the church quietly via a back door. He later expressed his disappointment about being chased away.
Habib said he and his management team had been invited to the meeting by the Academic Staff Association of Wits, the Holy Trinity Church and religious leaders.
“We are disappointed that people felt that we should exit the peace meeting even after we had been invited to attend it,” Habib said.
“We remain committed to working with students.”
Meanwhile, students urged the clergy to call off the meeting and move it to a bigger venue.
The meeting later got under way at Solomon Mahlangu House. – ANA