Violent days at KZN university

Building which houses office of vice-chancellor Albert van Jaarsveld, two cars were torched

DURBAN: The Higher Education Department says it is “disturbed” at the violent protests which erupted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on Sunday night and yesterday, forcing the Westville campus to shut its gates.

The building, which houses the office of Vice-Chancellor Albert van Jaarsveld, and at least two cars were torched.

The protest forced UKZN to suspend classes yesterday and today in the hope that calm will be restored by tomorrow.

While the SA Students Congress (Sasco) has claimed responsibility for leading the protests, it said it did not condone the destruction of property, and the students responsi- ble should be arrested.

Sasco said the protests – which also occurred at UKZN’s Edgewood campus last week – were over financial aid and the need for new student accommodation.

Higher Education Department spokesperson Khaye Nkwanyana said while the aggrieved students may have valid reasons for protesting, there could be no justification for the violence.

“These are criminal acts and law enforcement agencies must be invited to arrest the culprits. All of them.

“That being the case, we encourage the new vice chancellor to engage with student leadership and seek mutual solutions to the matters that are the causal effect.

“Matters must not be allowed to reach boiling point.”

Yvonne Phosa, chairperson of the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on higher education, said one way to prevent the ugly scenes at UKZN was the department’s plan for South Africa’s student leaders to be taught conflict management and resolution.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violent protests that have erupted at UKZN,” she said.

“We encourage the students to utilise the mechanisms in place at the university to raise their concerns. We also urge the university to ensure that they engage with students to hear their grievances and ensure feedback is given.”

Sasco KZN secretary Pinda Mofokeng said the institution wanted students to attain a 70 percent pass for their modules to qualify for financial aid, but the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) only required a 50 percent pass.

Mofokeng said the other primary grievance was that the university had not delivered on a promise to build a new residence. These issues could easily be resolved, but management “did not listen”.

“Sasco is not a criminal organisation. Only through dialogue can we find a lasting solution. (But) students get agitated when management refuses to speak to them.”

UKZN’s central SRC president Dithobe Mosana condemned the destruction of property, but argued that students were rightly aggrieved over the proposed new NSFAS qualification criteria, and the move by UKZN to review its Registration Appeals Committee policy.

“Students should perform (well) academically, but in this instance UKZN would be acting outside of the parameters set by both NSFAS and the government.”

The appeals committee was created to help students by allowing them to pay their fees over a two-year period. However, UKZN had found that students who this arrangement was extended to, had not paid more than 10 percent of their fees over the two-year period.

UKZN spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka yesterday said that the students had not communicated their unhappiness to the university’s leadership.

“The university apologises to all students whose commitments have been interrupted.”

Police are investigating but no arrests have yet been made.