Fees Must Fall student activists from the Durban University of Technology (DUT) have pledged their support for staff, striking for better pay.
This, as the protracted labour unrest at the university on Monday got into its seventh week.
The EFF Student Command, including well-known figureheads Bonginkosi Khanyile and Philani Gazuzu Nduli, on Tuesday led hundreds of students and staff on a march from Curries Fountain to the university's Steve Biko campus.
In a statement, the students said they stood by DUT workers and their wage demands.
But, they said, they also wanted the immediate resumption of classes.
“And equally demand the university management to heed workers’ demands … The protest has already taken seven weeks of the academic calendar,” they said.
Khanyile, meanwhile told striking unions that EFF leadership would “descend” on the campus if a seven-week wage dispute was not resolved by Tuesday.
“If [Nehawu] fails to address this issue, we have contacted the national leadership of the EFF; they are on standby. If they fail, the commander-in-chief, president Julius Malema, is going to come down,” said Khanyile, to whistles and cheers from the crowd.
“We wish Nehawu well, and we hope there is going to be a resolution. If there is no resolution, tomorrow, the leadership of the EFF is going to come in on auto-pilot. So comrades, rest assured we are going to resolve this issue,” he said.
The strike started with unions demanding a 10% wage increment and the university offering them 6.25%.
They revised their demands to a 8.25% wage increment, R9000 once-off bonus and R400 housing allowance, but DUT management only improved their offer to a 6.5% increment.
The Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training was on Tuesday afternoon meeting with university management and labour representatives.