It remains unclear whether the academic programme of Rhodes University will resume tomorrow, 28 September. This rests on the outcome of a meeting that has been under way between various stakeholders from midday, 27 September.
It remains unclear whether the academic programme of Rhodes University will resume tomorrow, 28 September. This rests on the outcome of a meeting that has been under way between various stakeholders from midday, 27 September.
Protesting students have allowed certain departments to function during the suspension of academic activity. These include support staff and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) offices.
University spokesperson Catherine Deiner said a meeting was held this morning between university stakeholders (Top Management, HODs, Deans, Directors, Middle Management, National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU), Wardens) in the Council Chambers, and the decision was that the same stakeholders who were represented at the meeting yesterday would reconvene at 12pm today, 27 September to continue engagement with the students. The meeting was still under way at the time of going to press.
Earlier this morning a group of students protesting under the #FeesMustFall banner went to various key points within campus to demonstrate their frustration on what they perceive as lack of progress from management on some of their demands.
Speaking to Grocott's Mail in front of Eden Grove this morning Sasco and #FeesMustFall movement member Lukhanyo Ningiza said the movement was concerned about the fact that the Rhodes fee adjustment had not been announced, adding that they don't want any fees to be paid by a student coming from a family that earns between zero and R600 000 as per the Minister's announcement.
"We are saying they should pay nothing. That demand speaks to internal management as well as on a national platform and we don't have money to pay MIP (minimum initial payment). The reason that it speaks to management is because there are aspects that management has autonomy over, things they can change in order to address some of the demands we have, both management and national," he said.
Ningiza said as the students they had noted that Vice Chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela's salary was in excess of R2 million.
"So we are asking Dr Mabizela to halve his salary and Dr Mabizela has committed and said that half of his salary would go to him and the other half to the student fund."
The students also want the members of top management to commit to donating half of their salaries to the student fund, according to Ningiza. "We are saying to the top management that we think their [salaries]are in excess of R1 million, but the very same people have other interests elsewhere so we are appealing or demanding that as management of Rhodes they must give half, as much as Mabizela did, even though some of them may not get the same benefits as Mabizela, we are appealing to them," he said.
Among their demands Ningiza said they also asked for a sliding scale approach to fees at Rhodes if they can't be given the zero fees they are calling for.
"In this sliding scale it means how much a family must pay must be determined by how much they earn," he said.
They also called for supplementary exams to be free and for residences to be made available to students who are writing supplementary exams free of charge. Ningiza said the students also demanded that the protesting students not to be victimised after the protests have stopped.
"Another demand is that subsequent to this awareness and activism of fighting for free education, we are asking that no student must be victimised because we are doing this for all students," he said.
Speaking about their actions today Ningiza said as revolutionaries of Rhodes University who are fighting for free higher education they took a conscious decision to protest and make sure that university functions must not continue, except for a few departments. "Right now those are grounds and garden staff who are represented by Nehawu, and NSFAS offices must continue because they are not counter this process. They are working for those who still want to come to Rhodes," he said.
"We marched to the two biggest residences which are Jan Smuts and Nelson Mandela. They called the police on us without approaching us. They are criminalising us. What we are trying to do is to express our inner anger. Our government had promised us free education but they have turned that into grants and loans so we are saying they must do what they promised us," Ningiza said.
Speaking about the Rhodes SRC Ningiza said the students had no confidence in the SRC.
"However, there were negotiations that were stimulated by post-graduates and people who have influence which say we must work together to win this fight," he said.
He says they put forward a few critical conditions.
"One was that they will not hold any power over us and they will not engage with management. We will engage with management, they will serve as a vehicle for us. They must also commit to changing the policies of this university because they are very colonising and segregational. If they are willing to commit to those issues we are willing to work shoulder-to-shoulder with them, but if they don't we won't work with them," he said.
anele@grocotts.co.za
