After student unrest brought the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Nelson R Mandela Medical School to a standstill for a fortnight, it was back to business this week.
On Tuesday, the university’s communications department told The Mercury that lectures had resumed at the school on Monday.
The SRC at the school handed over a memorandum during mass action that led to the closure at the end of July.
This followed concerns about the integrity of the students’ pending qualifications, following allegations that places at the school were being sold to students whose marks were not good enough to get them in.
Three people were arrested in May for allegedly selling places at the school for up to R500 000. They are out on bail. The matter is due back in court at the end of the month.
Other concerns included plans for the placement of students at ill-equipped medical facilities for some of their modules, and a disproportionately high number of medical students from Cuba at the school.
SRC president Nkosinathi Ndebele said when they handed over their memorandum that they wanted “actual change” before they would go back to class. He was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.