Rhodes University acknowledged the effect that events on campus were having on the town, hours before five students arrested during disruptions yesterday Monday 10 October were released on warning. And employee union Nehawu has spoken out strongly against threats to employee safety as a result of the #RUFeesMustFall protests and police responses to them.
Rhodes University acknowledged the effect that events on campus were having on the town, hours before five students arrested during disruptions yesterday Monday 10 October were released on warning. And employee union Nehawu has spoken out strongly against threats to employee safety as a result of the #RUFeesMustFall protests and police responses to them.
The five students appeared in the magistrate's court in Grahamstown today Tuesday 11 October.
Magistrate Ntsoki Moni today ordered them to return to court on 30 November. Students filled the courtroom in support of the three male and two female students who on Monday took part in actions on the Rhodes University campus as part of the #FeesMustFall protests.
A statement issued by the University's Communications and Advancement Division said the students had been arrested after a group of them disrupted classes yesterday morning.
Spokesperson Catherine Deiner said although Rhodes University had experienced disruptions yesterday, the academic programme had continued.
According to the statement, protesting students entered residences and vandalised property.
"Fire alarms were set off and, in some cases, ripped from walls," Deiner said.
"Protesters then proceeded to enter lecture venues and strew rubbish across the floors disrupting lectures as they did so. In ablution facilities, drains were blocked and taps opened in order to flood large areas. In some cases, staff were harassed and intimidated."
The University condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the disrespect shown to support staff, in particular, cleaning staff, who had to clean up as a result of protest action.
"It also has enormous consequences for the wider Grahamstown community because of the relationship of the University to the economic well-being of the town and its citizens," said the University.
In the statement issued late yesterday, Deiner said the South African Police Service had been monitoring the situation throughout the day and that five students who were interfering with the academic programme had been arrested in the course of yesterday morning.
The university acknowledged that disruptions affect both staff and students, many of whom are traumatised by protest action.
Yesterday's disruptions followed a breakdown of negotiations between the students and management. The students demanded that academic programmes be suspended for the week starting Monday 10 October.
The University said all agreements reached during the intense negotiations over a period of three days had fallen away because of this demand.
In a statement issued late on Sunday, Deiner said for the past few days, representatives from Executive and Senior Management, the Middle Management Forum, the Deans’ Forum, the HoD Forum, the two unions, NEHAWU and NTEU, the Hall Wardens and the Students Representative Council had come together in good faith to meet with the RUFeesmustfall protesting group of students.
"In the course of these days, 13 demands made by the RUFeesmustfall group were discussed and agreements were reached on all 13.
"However, at the very end of the session on Sunday 9 October, an additional unexpected demand was made by the protesting group.
"This demand was that the University should suspend the academic programme for the entire week beginning 10 October.
"In addition, the RUFeesmustFall group could not give a guarantee that no protest action would continue.
Deiner said in the context of the additional demand and breakdown in discussions, all agreements made in the course of the past few days now fell away.
The University offered sincere thanks to the facilitators of all the discussions that had taken place since protests began, saying those individuals had given many days of their time and had expended enormous energy in trying to ensure that agreements could be reached. The university expressed its profound disappointment that this had not been possible.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Sally de Beer confirmed yesterday's events.
She said that as early as 8am yesterday morning, students at Rhodes University had disrupted classes, flooded premises and emptied rubbish bins.
Meanwhile, in a statement released late this afternoon, Nehawu said while they supported the call for free higher education, they felt this struggle should be conducted "in a disciplined, peaceful and democratic manner".
Nehawu felt the university community should protect students from excessive force by the police; however at the same time they condemned any attacks that made the university unsafe to work in, whether police action "or [a]small group of violent students".
The union declared their support for negotiations and dialogue among constituencies to resolve the crisis.
