Durban - Mangosuthu University of Technology has revealed that the damage to the institution caused by last month’s violent protests cost sits at R3.5 million.
Bheki Hlophe, Media liaison officer for the institution, said this figure was a direct cost of infrastructure damage and did not include indirect costs like that of overtime for the institution’s catch-up programme which has yet to be calculated.
This week, the University of KwaZulu-Natal suspended classes following renewed protests last week.
Last month, universities around the province were shut down when students protested over a number of issues which including funding problems, slow registration process and expensive fees among others.
The protests which were characterised by violence resulted in the death of Mlungisi Madonsela at the Durban University of Technology.
Durban University of Technology also shut down its academic programme due to the protests.
Alan Khan, senior director of Corporate Affairs at the Durban University of Technology said the institution’s senate executive committee had revised the academic calendar.
“The calendar had to be updated after important teaching time was lost as a result of the recent student protests. Five days of teaching time were since recovered by removing three days from the study period and by delaying the start of the first-semester examination by two days. The autumn graduation dates have also been amended due to the National General Elections taking place on Wednesday, 8 May 2019. The Durban Autumn graduation ceremonies will now take place from 06 May 2019 to 14 May 2019,” he said. Khan said the amended calendar was already made available to students," he said.