Johannesburg – At least 13 cleaners were arrested by police for allegedly violating a court order at the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Kingsway campus on Friday.
According to the court interdict, obtained by the institution to halt protests against outsourcing of staff at the university, protesters are not to be within 500 metres of the campus. The workers were being held at Brixton police station.
Hundreds of workers and students marched from the Doornfontein campus to UJ on Friday as exams commenced at the institution. They were joined by Witwatersrand University students, who had first started nationwide protests against tuition fee hikes and outsourcing four weeks ago.
Organisers said students from Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria would join the protest.
A strong contingent of police formed a human barricade near the gates, preventing protesters from moving towards the campus.
“We want the VC (Vice Chancellor Ihron Rensburg) to come here and address us, he speaks to the media but ignores us. Why? We are the ones that need answers from him, not journalists,” said one of the workers.
The protesters knelt on the tarmac with their hands raised in front of the police line of defence, and sang the struggle anthem “Senzeni na” (What have we done?).
University workers, mostly cleaners, joined by a group of students, began protesting against outsourcing on Monday.
Barred by police and private security guards from entering the premises on Thursday, they protested outside the campus demanding the immediate scrapping of contracts with external service providers.
A stand-off between private security guards and the protesters ensued on Thursday, which saw protesters manhandled by hired security personnel, who used pepper spray on the protesters.
Rensburg told reporters on Thursday that a task team, chaired by deputy vice-chancellor Mpho Letlape, had been formed to look into outsourcing and come up with a plan before the end of the academic year.
The task team, which was due to start work on Friday, included labour unions and the Student Representative Council.
The team would look into how the university could exit current contracts with service providers and hire the outsourced workers.
Five students - including SRC president Khutso Rammutla - and several staff members were suspended on Thursday for violating the court interdicts.
African News Agency
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