Johannesburg - Parents, students and university authorities have lamented the impact of the disruptions of academic activities and pleaded with the protesters to rethink their actions.
Since Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande recommended last week that universities should individually determine fee increases for 2017, but cap it at 8 percent, students have gone on the rampage, burning and vandalising buildings. This is as they demand free higher education.
The protests have brought the tertiary education system to a standstill throughout the country, with many institutions forced to suspend academic activities.
Wits said on Monday they would run a poll to allow students and staff to voice their opinion on whether lectures should resume next week or not.
“In order to facilitate as wide a response as possible to the current crisis, the university will run a poll later this week to gauge the thoughts of staff and students on the resumption of the academic programme on Monday, the 3rd of October 2016, if the appropriate security measures are in place. All responses will remain anonymous,” spokeswoman Sherona Patel said.
Patel said the university believed that the voices of the majority of students and staff needed to be heard.
She said the university had received hundreds of emails calling for the academic programme to resume and has responded to these concerns.
“We are requesting the Independent Electoral Commission to oversee this process and to verify the results independently,” she said.
“If the majority of students and staff support the reopening on Monday, the university will call upon government and the police to meet their obligations to protect the university’s property and to safeguard the lives of students and staff,” Patel said.
Protesting Wits University students were on Monday forced to abandon their planned march to vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib’s house after it emerged that it is heavily guarded.
“He is behaving like a pop star. He is speaking to us via eNCA and on the radio. We haven’t seen him in the past two weeks. We don’t have a vice-chancellor here,” said former student representative council president Mcebo Dlamini.
He urged institutions such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Johannesburg to join Wednesday’s total shutdown.
Habib could not be immediately reached for comment, but he had earlier indicated that student leaders were not representing the views of the majority.
“Beware Vanguardism. The majority must be heard. Democracy must prevail even if not perfect. Leaders must be accountable to constituency,” he tweeted.
On Monday, hundreds of parents and students at Wits University lamented the disruptions to academic activities. They asked that they not be identified in order to protect their children.
One parent said it was painful to see her two children unable to continue with their studies. “I am deeply concerned that the continued protests and threat of the university not reopening any time soon will negatively impact on them passing this academic year.
“I strongly believe that everybody has a right to express their views, however it should never be to the detriment of someone else,” said the parent.
“Many students only have one opportunity to study and will never get this opportunity again.”
Several concerned parents explained that many of them have had to make financial plans and deals with the university to get their children through the system.
“We struggle financially, and to pay using money earned through sweat and blood for our children’s education only to have them barred from continuing their studies by a minority of students is unfair,” said one mom, who has three children studying at Wits. "We’re not against the fight for cheaper education, but at what cost will this come? I have a child in final year and he wants to finish,” she added.
More students also voiced their unhappiness with the disruptions. In a letter to Wits, a fourth-year student said: “I am one of the few students that cannot afford to lose this time due to the protests. I have worked four years to be where I am and I want to finish my degree this year. I want to do my honours, but I fear this will hinder my chances.”
According to Wits, there are more than 36 000 students studying at the institution, with only about 1 000 actively taking part in protest action.
The Star