The Walter Sisulu University Buffalo City Campus (BCC) operations, in almost all sites, were brought to a halt on Wednesday by a group of students.
The Walter Sisulu University Buffalo City Campus (BCC) operations, in almost all sites, were brought to a halt on Wednesday by a group of students.
Prior to this there had not been any communication to the office of the Campus Rector by anyone or any group advising of any pending demonstration, and/or petition.
On noticing the state of affairs the BCC Rector, Dr Prince Jaca, invited Student Affairs, and subsequently the SRC President, to his office to get a possible briefing about what was unfolding. The SRC president advised that he was not aware of what the issues were, and he was not clear as to who was leading the student action.
Through the SRC president he invited the leadership of all students’ organisations to a meeting with Student Affairs.
The leadership of student organisations (Sasco, Pasma and SCO), now led by the SRC, came to the meeting.
Their demands were:
1. The new online/automated residence allocation system be done away with in favour of the old manual system;
2. Students who have a low academic average but were allocated rooms (through no fault of their own) must not be taken out of the residences;
3. Additional beds to be secured by the university, especially for all NSFAS students.
Campus Student Affairs was there to respond to most of the demands. After lengthy deliberations and informed that 80% of beds had been allocated and 20% were still to be allocated, the following was resolved:
a) Automated system will continue to be used;
b) The remaining 20% to be allocated according to academic merit and other relevant considerations;
c) A list of all those students whose average was miscalculated (who otherwise have a high academic average) be forwarded to the residence office to correct those anomalies, and all legitimate cases to be considered accordingly.
d) Students who have been wrongly allocated (who otherwise have low academic average) be reallocated (within the remaining 20% of beds).
e) Additional Beds for NSFAS: it was agreed that the matter was long-term. The Campus Rector will initiate the engagement with the university, through relevant structures like the Campus Management Committee, Institutional Management Committee, etc through to Council.
The meeting adjourned with the note that the student leadership was going to report back to the rest of the students.
