Students’ futures at stake

THE VIOLENT protests at University of KwaZuluNatal campuses have put the studies and futures of thousands of students in jeopardy. But the general secretary of UKZN’s Westville campus, Ncebo Mazibuko, said the protesters’ studies were being affected as well.

“We are not saying we condone the violence, we condemn it, but at the same time the students’ concerns are not being addressed by the university,” said Mazibuko, a final year BSc student.

“I had three exams to write last week but they were cancelled because the university closed. I am in the same situation as others.”

He said the students’ concerns included the lack of funding and the proposed increase of registration fees from R3 750 to R5 000.

“We communicated our concerns to management in June but they have not said or done anything.

“We have also been trying to secure a one-on-one meeting with the vice chancellor (Dr Albert van Jaarsveld) but nothing has materialised.”

Mazibuko said they had been using the proper channels to engage with the university but they were being ignored.

“We are dealing with students’ careers and futures here. When people are trying to engage with them using proper platforms, no one is interested in what is being said. The students’ frustrations have led to the violence,” he said. “They feel as if they have no other option.”

Mazibuko said the protesting students were also angry after the SRC Westville campus president, Lukhanyo Mtshingana, was arrested last Monday while trying to negotiate the release of other students that were detained. “He was wrongfully arrested.” Mtshingana appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday but the case was adjourned to today (September 23) as the investigating officer did not arrive at court, said Mazibuko.

“The students are now angry about his arrest, while he was trying to help others.”

Mazibuko said he did not know if conflict resolution as a subject at university would deter students from violent protests.

“I cannot say if it is going to help or not.”

Asked about those students whose studies have been affected, he said: “We never requested the university to shut down.”

Meanwhile, Kyle Travice Pillay, 22, a fourth-year law student at UKZN’s Howard College campus, said they were advised by the university not to return to campus until further notice.

“There were no lectures during the week and this has undoubtedly impacted on our studies. On most Fridays we are scheduled to write semester tests and last Friday our civil procedures test was canned.

“We are currently on vacation until September 28, so when we return, we will have the added pressure of completing this test, while coping with other academic activities,” said Pillay, who added that their year-end exams were scheduled for October and November.

“We are sympathetic to the cause of our fellow students, but there are proper channels to take one’s concerns forward, where it does not have to disrupt the studies of thousands of others,” he said.

Melissa Naidu, 22, a fourth-year pharmacy student at the Westville campus, said: “We were scheduled to do our research presentations on Friday before judges, but it was postponed. We now don’t know when… (they) will be held.

“We have other academic demands when we return and it is going to be unnecessarily stressful. With our final exams just around the corner, last week was crucial for us. I can understand they (the protesters) want an education but violence is never an option.”

A list of questions was sent to the vice chancellor at UKZN, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, on Wednesday last week, but by time of publication, there were no replies.

However, the executive director of the corporate relations division at UKZN, Lesiba Seshoka, said the institution was satisfied with the many attempts made to amicably resolve student grievances by continuously engaging student leadership over the past months.

Seshoka said it was regrettable engagements were halted due to the unwillingness of the SRC to meet, as there were questionable conditional demands that lay outside of the university’s legal jurisdiction, which would not be considered.

“As the academic programmes are in recess, measures will be put in place to ensure teaching and learning proceeds smoothly when the next semester resumes on September 28.”

Seshoka said a full investigation into all illicit criminal actions was underway internally and externally, and all perpetrators found to have been involved would face the full might of the university’s disciplinary processes, and where necessary, that of the law.