Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth was rocked by students protests on Monday over a range of issues which included fees, debt relief and unhappiness around overall transformation at the university.
South African Students Congress (SASCO) members were seen blocking entrances at North and South Campus, burning tyres and singing struggle songs.
NMMU advised all staff and students to stay clear from the university on Monday because of “ongoing uncertainty on its campuses”.
The protest unrest comes as students are expected to write supplementary examinations this week.
Meanwhile, SASCO released a statement and said that the decision to embark on a mass protest was informed by ongoing students issues and “exploited workers” within the university.
Following the #FeesMustFall campaign last year, SASCO, through task teams, had overseen and directed the implementation of council resolutions around student financing, insourcing of service workers and the “decolonisation of the current curriculum content”.
According to SASCO, council resolutions included debt relief for all National Student Financial Aid Sscheme students with zero expected family contributions, debt relief for all NSFAS-eligible students with outstanding balances, and debt relief for students falling in the “missing middle” income brackets who were academically deserving, amongst others other issues.
With regards to insourcing of service workers, resolutions included across the board minimum wage guaranteed to each service worker of R5,000 per month cost to company.
But SASCO is now unhappy with the insourcing project and how the financing of needy students are being carried out.
“Our quest for total transformation of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, to make it a true reflection of Madiba’s legacy, has not gone without challenge by the backward white conservative arrangement in the university. The arrangement has aligned itself within all levels of management. This arrangement has been deliberately derailing us from the strides we have taken by undermining the above mentioned Council resolutions,” the statement read.
Some of SASCO’s grievances include
- Students are unable to add modules for second semester due to outstanding funds of the first semester.
- A number of deserving students were denied book and food allowances because of an ambiguous threshold of qualification that was not made in consultation with student leaders.
- Student results were withheld making it a mission for students to be able to know whether they will be continuing with the module into the second semester or not. The release of results will make it possible for students to apply for bursaries lifting the financial burden.
- The university management has denied disadvantaged students who will be coming in at the 2nd semester the opportunity to receive debt relief as mandated by council.
- Students that entered the system through debt relief are being evicted by residences and their properties are being confiscated in other residences.
- Activists who dare challenge this injustice are being suspended by the university without going through any disciplinary processes as per university policy.
- The university says it is insourcing workers but still denies them basic benefits as did by the last employer.
- Security are forced to wear demeaning uniform discriminating them from other members of the security department.
- The university wage increases are below the minimum increase agreed upon of 6%.
- Security that participated in earlier protests are being victimised and some have been illegally dismissed.
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on Higher Education and Training, Yusuf Cassim, condemned the shutdown and accused the African National Congress-aligned SASCO of abusing genuine student concerns for political gain.
“This has happened in the middle of exams, and will hurt students, especially those who are poor. Particularly because no students are involved in this protest but rather a few members of SASCO and mostly staff.”
“DASO (Democratic Alliance Students Organisation) has raised numerous issues with the University, and last night [Sunday] initiated a peaceful sit-in, to highlight serious funding issues, which lies at the door-step of the national government,” said Cassim.
Cassim said that many students were unable to fund their studies, despite qualifying and now as a result students have had their results withheld, and are facing no funding for meals and textbooks.
“The DASO-led SRC has endeavoured to raise funds to assist students without funding with day-to-day needs, including textbooks. So far the SRC has collected more than 1,000 textbooks throughout the holidays in an attempt to alleviate the crisis.”
“This is because more needs to be done. The Department of Higher Education, under Blade Nzimande, has failed our students. There is not enough funding for higher education institutions. This means that students who qualify for university will be forced to drop out, or will not succeed because they are poor. This perpetuates the cycle of poverty and inequality,” said Cassim.
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