Pretoria - The Tshwane University of Technology obtained an urgent interdict against protesting students at its campuses in a bid to normalise the situation at the university.
The interdict issued by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, applied to all TUT campuses.
This application was brought following the ongoing disruptions at the university, and the subsequent suspension of activities at the Soshanguve North and South campuses on Thursday.
Judge Mmonoa Teffo issued the urgent order against all the students who participated in the protest action. She ordered that the EFF Student Command, TUT branch, the Pan African Movement of Azania and the Radical Student Movement had to ensure that their members toed the line.
In terms of the interdict, the students may not protest within 200m of any entrance of any of the campuses. The protesters were also interdicted from barricading any of the entrances or exits of the campuses and they may not prevent anyone from lawfully entering or exiting.
The student representatives were ordered to ensure that members did not set alight, damage or trash TUT property, or intimidate other students, staff or visitors.
Judge Teffo ordered that a copy of the order be put up at the entrances of TUT, and it had to be communicated by the student representatives to its members via social media.
The Sheriff of the High Court also had to read out the order by loudspeaker to the students at the entrances to all the campuses.
TUT spokesperson Willa de Ruyter said the interdict would prevent the actions of the perpetrators of the ongoing unrest and damage to TUT property.
She said the university recognised every student’s constitutional right to education and the importance of the 2018 academic programme to progress uninterrupted. All classes will resume on Monday, when tests will proceed.
De Ruyter said it was important to note that while classes would resume at the Soshanguve campuses on Monday, tests for students there would only commence on September 17, to allow them sufficient time to prepare.
Despite ongoing engagement with students and decisions reached on issues they had tabled, as well as extensive communication by the campus management committee to students, protest action and damage to property at the Soshanguve North and South campuses had continued.
“Due to the volatility of the situation, the university had no choice on Thursday but to suspend all activities at the Soshanguve North and South campuses,” she said.