Heavily equipped Public Order Police from East London moved on to the Rhodes University campus around 5.30am today Wednesday 5 October following around three hours of action by protesters at the corner of Somerset and Prince Alfred Streets in Grahamstown, on the day that later saw the University agreeing to an academic amnesty during day-long negotiations between local stakeholders in the #Fees conflict.
Heavily equipped Public Order Police from East London moved on to the Rhodes University campus around 5.30am today Wednesday 5 October following around three hours of action by protesters at the corner of Somerset and Prince Alfred Streets in Grahamstown, on the day that later saw the University agreeing to an academic amnesty during day-long negotiations between local stakeholders in the #Fees conflict.
Students standing in small groups in the pre-dawn darkness said they'd been woken by others coming and knocking on their residence room doors, urging them to join the protesters.
"We came because we weren't going to be able to sleep anyway," one student said.
A burning barricade at the corner of Prince Alfred and Somerset Streets was extinguished and later reignited by the protesters.
Among the items used in the barricade were hundreds of syringes and needles strewn across the road, that appeared to be medical waste. This was later confirmed in a statement from Rhodes University.
Grocott's Mail saw protesters breaking up ash-bricks into smaller pieces and laying them on the road when A van full of officers from the East London Public Order Police unit arrived around 5am.
A large contingent of the Grahamstown SAPS were on standby in New Street throughout the night-time protest actions, as well as at other access points to the university campus.
When the protesters saw the out-of-town unit arrive, they quickly retreated inside the campus.
One of the protest leaders told them to remain, however. Addressing them, he then agreed they should leave, but urged them to regroup later.
The heavily equipped group of around 10 officers proceeded west up Prince Alfred Street, the direction the protesters had taken.
A statement issued by the Rhodes University Communications and Advancement Division this afternoon said of last nights actions that protesters had invaded residences on the upper part of campus while students were sleeping.
"Fire alarms were set off as the residences were invaded. Tyres and two rain water storage tanks were also set alight in the immediate vicinity," the statement said.
"Protesting students then moved down campus and erected barricades across key access roads. In order to form one barricade, a painting contractor’s trailer, which had been parked on a corner of the Drostdy Lawns, was taken and dragged to the intersection of Artillery Road and Somerset Street.
"It was then toppled and attempts were made to set it alight. Fortunately, the attempts to burn the trailer did not succeed.
"Another barricade across the bottom of Prince Alfred Street was set alight and reinforced with broken bottles and discarded medical waste, including used needles."
"No significant damage was sustained to University property," the statement said.
Disruption
In an earlier statement, the University said the academic programme had continued, although there had been some disruption.
"We remain committed to continuing with the academic programme and to ensuring a successful completion of the academic year. To this end, the University remains dedicated to engagement with all constituencies.
"We reiterate the University’s position that everyone has the right to protest peacefully and within the bounds of the law. The University is resolute in its support for the call for free quality higher education for the poor," the earlier statement said.
Around noon today, Brigadier Sally de Beer said the South African Police Service were still monitoring the situation at Rhodes University after the 3am incidents in which a group of over 200 students blocked off all entrances to the campus and scattered medical syringes at the entrance at the corner of Prince Alfred and Somerset Streets.
"A short while later, the group removed a trailer from the premises, overturned it at the Artillery Road entrance and set it alight.
"The South African Police Service, emergency services and the fire department removed blockages and put out the fire.
"A police forensics team examined the scene. There were no arrests but police continue to monitor the situation," said de Beer.
Acting National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane called on students to exercise their right to protest in a peaceful manner without destruction of property or any form of violence.
He said the SAPS would continue to monitor the situation countrywide and would take action to maintain stability, peace and the safety of lives and property.
Negotiations
Meanwhile Rhodes University student media organisation Oppidan Press live-streamed negotiations between local stakeholders in the #Fees conflict.
"The meeting with university management and stakeholders has ended and will be reconvened at 10am to continue with student representatives present," The Oppidan Press tweeted at around 9.30am.
Their last published Tweet was "University has agreed to an academic amnesty. Students will be able to write exams no matter their dp status."
The multi-stakeholder consultative forum in Kempton Park convened on Monday 3 October by Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, called for the academic programmes at universities to resume as a matter of urgency in all institutions where these have been halted.
The stakeholders, who included Students Representative Council Presidents, South African Union of Students (SAUS), Faith-based organisations, worker federations (COSATU, FEDUSA, NACTU), Business community, Vice-Chancellors, Chairs of Council, Parents, SETAs, TVET Sector, Student leadership in the TVET Sector, Traditional leaders (CONTRALESA), some Cabinet Ministers and the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education & Training, issued a declaration last night.
The Summit said there should be continuation of critical work to provide medium and long-term solutions to student funding needs, within the time frames already set out.
It also called for the continuation of dialogue between all parties so that these can contribute to the nature of the solutions that will be put in place. Protests, where these occur, were urged to be peaceful and to avoid infringing on the rights of others.
The Summit resolved to unanimously condemn the acts of violence and destruction to property that are taking place on university campuses.
It was stated that security forces should only be deployed in cases where the safety of people and or property are under threat, and that they must exercise maximum restraint as they work to maintain a safe environment.
The resolutions also stated that there should be long-term solutions to students funding that are in the interest of the whole society and of the country, as well as in the interest of universities and students are put in place.
Also support should be afforded to enable the Presidential Commission to speedily conclude its work so that it can contribute to finding the long-term solutions.
Read the full statement here:
http://www.ru.ac.za/latestnews/declarationofahighereducationtrainingmulti-stakeholdersummitthattook.html
