Protesting Wits students declare ‘ceasefire’
The management of Wits University and protesting student leaders appear to have hit a snag on the conditions they’ve set for a meeting meant to end the protests at the institution.
It’s been a week since students took to the streets over financial and academic exclusion, as well as access to affordable accommodation.
On Wednesday, the student representative council (SRC) called a media briefing where they announced a 24-hour ceasefire but attached three conditions they want the university to meet.
These include an end to the police’s presence on campus, the removal of external private security on campus, and the lifting of the suspensions against five students and the SRC president Aphiwe Mnyamana.
Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel said some of the students’ conditions were met, while also listing conditions the university set before agreeing to the meeting with the SRC and vice-chancellor Zeblon Valakazi.
“The first demand was that the police be removed from campus, we’ve agreed to that and the police are off campus already. The second is the reduction of private security and we’ve agreed that as things calm down and if there are no infringements and there’s no destruction to property; if things are peaceful and calm; we will reduce the number of protection services people we have gradually.
“We do need to have a commitment from the SRC that will happen. No intimidation, no blocking of entrances and no disruption of lectures, and no damage to property.”
Patel said the university cannot accede to the demand of lifting the suspensions. This comes after SRC deputy president Kamogelo Mabe called for the return of Aphiwe Mnyamana to lead the negotiations.
“We can’t treat SRC people especially, they must be treated like all other students, so they must go through the legal [internal] process on that one,” Patel added.
Mnyamana, who addressed the media outside the university gates, accused the university of negotiating in bad faith after the protest stoppage came at their request. He said the VC is still not amenable to speaking with the students or the mediators that include Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Nsfas chairperson Ernest Khosa.
Mnyamana insisted no meeting will take place without him.
“If the vice chancellor is to meet with us, he must meet all of us. He won’t choose to meet this one and not that one. Everyone who was in the protest, everyone who is an SRC member. Because as SCR members the department of higher education says we are a constitutional body. We are not a sub-body of Wits.”
Mnyamana and his deputy have vowed to mobilise students again on Thursday, should the meeting not materialise.
