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Students have been demanding that all historical debts be eliminated and that enrollment continues during the current year.
South African Police Service (SAPS) officers use tear gas to disperse students during a protest in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on March 10, 2021. Image: Emmanuel Croset / AFP
JOHANNESBURG – It appears that the student protests for free higher education have not yet ended after talks between the Wits Student Representative Council and Vice Minister Buti Manamela broke down on Saturday in Pretoria.
Students have been demanding that all historical debts be eliminated and that enrollment continues during the current year.
Reports also say that negotiations between Minister Blade Nzimande and the South African Students Union (SAUS) have stalled, with threats to close tertiary institutions.
On Friday, the student union gave the higher education minister until 5 p.m. to respond to its demands, otherwise it would ensure that higher education places were closed starting Monday.
READ: Nzimande has until 5pm today to respond to student demands or face closure
Among the 15 demands, students want:
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A full return of the academic program on campus under level one lockdown
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Historic debt settlement
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Immediate provision of graduate funding
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All freshmen should be able to register while the government resolves the funding issue.
They also want the students to be provided with laptops and their allowance given this month, as many landlords are already asking for payment.
The last two weeks have seen protests near Wits University with one person dead and several students arrested.
However, on Thursday, the National Prosecutor’s Office said it would not prosecute students arrested during the Wits #Asinamali protests that had raged since the beginning of the month.
ALSO READ: Insufficient NPA Evidence to Prosecute Students Arrested During Wits Protest
At the same time, the public was outraged and called for police brutality within the South African Police Service to be addressed, and President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the police overreached and that the student protest did not “justify such resistance and of police pushes ”.
This comes after Mthokozisi Ntumba (35) died in Braamfontein, allegedly after officers fired rubber bullets at him to disperse protesting students.
Ntumba was shot after going to visit a clinic in the area.
His family described the father of four as humble, respectful and added that he still had a lot to offer South Africa.
LOOK: ‘There were some images that we weren’t ready to see’ – Ntumba’s cousin
On Friday, students from the University of Cape Town occupied the Kramer building, which houses the campus student financial aid office.
They demanded that Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and the university leadership address their financial struggles face to face.
They also want about 2,500 financially excluded students to be allowed to enroll.
The building houses the campus student financial aid office.
Additional reporting by Mia Lindeque and Kevin Brandt
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