Wits wants to negotiate with students

844 Wits University's Student Representative Council (SRC) has staged a major protest early Wednesday morning against the 10.5% fee increase Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso

844 Wits University's Student Representative Council (SRC) has staged a major protest early Wednesday morning against the 10.5% fee increase Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso

Published Oct 22, 2015

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Johannesburg - Wits University has urged protesting students to return the negotiating table even though it says it has already made a number of concessions.

The university’s senior executive team said on Thursday it was concerned that exams were only 10 days away.

Wits has been closed since last week following students initially protesting over plans to knock down a 1200-bed residence at the university to build a parking lot for its business school. The following day, they took too the streets and blockaded the university over fee increases next year.

Earlier on Thursday, thousands of students took their fight to Luthuli House, the ANC’s headquarters in Johannesburg.

Wits management said in a statement that they supported students' demands for more funding for the higher education sector.

“The university agrees with its students that everyone has an equal right to access higher education. Wits’ senior executive team will continue to lobby government, the private sector and other stakeholders to look at ways to resolve this crisis as soon as possible.”

However, they said there had already been compromises.

“(The) council has made several concessions pertaining to the upfront payment, the 2016 fee negotiation process, discounts for NSFAS and financially stressed students and the implementation of austerity measures.

“The negotiation table is open to the student leaders and we are hopeful that they will take the opportunity to work with us to find a speedy resolution to this important issue, especially since our examinations are only 10 days away,” the statement read.

The #FeesMustFall protests kicked off at Wits and spread like wildfire to other tertiary institutions across the country.

On Wednesday students attempted to storm Parliament while Finance Minister Nhlahla Nene was giving his medium term budget policy statement.

They are expected to camp outside the Union Building in Pretoria on Friday when President Jacob Zuma meets vice chancellors on the matter.

Labour Bureau

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