Durban - Classes have resumed at University of KwaZulu-Natal campuses after protesting students clashed with security guards in a day marred with violence on Tuesday.
Sanele Hlongwa, Central Student Representative Council president said the SRC met with the university management on Tuesday night.
"The university took the SRC resolutions and said they will get back to us after they have met with the UKZN executive board," he said on Wednesday.
Hlongwa said the university placed no timeline on when they would get back to the SRC.
But on Tuesday, a sense of normality returned to the institution as classes resumed.
"At the moment things are calm at campuses, but with the resolutions having not been met, you cannot predict what will be the reaction of the students anything can happen," Hlongwa said.
On Tuesday, lectures were cancelled at the Westville campus after students clashed with private security guards.
According to Hlongwa, who was not present during the clashes, the strike was a result of students’ frustration. “As the SRC we never declared any strike, it was the students’ own initiative. We have raised the issues with the university and there have never been any negotiations until today (Tuesday).”
The SRC house committee said the issues raised were problems with the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allowances; unsanitary and unsafe residences; and academic exclusion due to poor results.
“Academic exclusion should be placed on hold for the semester and all students who did not perform well should be brought back and put on probation. Students are under performing because the university had issues since day one... The lecturers didn’t finish their syllabus and students were not financially cleared (to register for second semester).”
Ashton Bodrick, executive director of Corporate Relations at UKZN, said student protests happened at Howard campus as well. Many UKZN Westville students arrived at university yesterday and found their classrooms locked.
“I heard (there) might be a strike, but I came because I did not receive a notification saying classes are cancelled,” one student said.
About 100 students had gathered in the university cafeteria early and started singing. A confrontation followed with the MI7 private security guards who fired rubber bullets and stun grenades, while students threw rocks at them. The crowd was eventually dispersed when SAPS was called.
Provincial police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala said one civilian vehicle was damaged during the protest and a case of public violence had been opened for investigation.