Cosas urges learners writing exams to stay away from protest:Wednesday 21 October 2015. Cosas will march to the offices of the Higher Education Department in Pretoria to demand free education.
(SABC) The Congress of South African Students has urged learners who are writing exams and tests from Wednesday to stay away from the protests. Cosas is set to support university students across the country in their protest against an increase in tuition fees in what they call a National Day of Action campaign. Wits University management has advised students to use the next few days to study for their forthcoming exams. The students will march against the fee hikes of various institutions set for 2016. Cosas says hundreds of young people will march to the offices of the Higher Education Department in Pretoria to demand free education. Speaking on AM Live, the Congress’ Secretary-General, Khulekani Skhosana, says they are fighting for the right to education so that they can contribute to the economy and help build the country. Students want more money allocated to higher education:Wednesday 21 October 2015.
Students and staff members at Wits University have entered a second week of protests against fee increases at their institution.
(SABC) University students have called on Finance Minister Nhlahla Nene to set aside a bigger slice of the budget pie towards higher education when he delivers the mid-term budget on Wednesday. This comes in the wake of student protests at Wits University, the University of Cape Town and Rhodes against fee increases at their institutions. Third-year Geology student at Wits University, Primrose Ramokoatsi, says she comes from a middle-class family and does not qualify for NSFAS, because of this she is now in a lot of debt.
She says Nene must increase the amount of money set aside for post school education so that students from similar backgrounds as hers are able to receive financial help and not be sentenced to a life of debt. In his budget speech earlier this year, Nene announced that R197 billion would be spent on post school education in the next three years. Student injured at Stellenbosch college:Tuesday 1 September 2015. At least one student was injured in a protest that turned violent at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute in Stellenbosch on Tuesday() At least one student was injured in a protest that turned violent at the Elsenburg Agricultural Training Institute in Stellenbosch on Tuesday, as people who tried to enter lecture halls were sjambokked. ''This morning higher-certificate students locked a lecture hall for a test,'' a student told News24. ''Management asked them to open it and got their own bolt cutters and managed to cut the chain off the gate. ''But as they started opening the door, there was resistance from the EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters].
A fight broke out and the okes started hitting each other with sjamboks,'' the shocked student said. He said there are two types of courses at the college, a degree in agricultural studies and a higher-certificate course. Students shut down Stellenbosch University campus:Monday 31 August 2015. The students argue that while the language policy is a 50/50 on English and Afrikaans , the institution focuses mainly on Afrikaans, setting up the black students for failure.
(SABC) Students at the Stellenboch University’s Elsenburg agricultural college in the Boland on Monday shut down the institution alleging racism and a focus on Afrikaans. This comes after a video depicting racism at nearby Stellenbosch University went viral last week. The students argue that while the language policy is a 50/50 on English and Afrikaans, the institution focuses mainly on Afrikaans, setting up the black students for failure. Liphelo Mpumlwana, a student at the institution says they have had enough. Other students say the protest is political and infringes on the rights of other students who want to learn. "Look at them now, I’m trying to talk and they are disrupting me. Students at Rhodes University continue their protest against racism:Saturday 29 August 2015. The Black Student Movement now accuses the university of not taking racism incidents seriously.
(www.ru.ac.za) The Black Student Movement (BSM) at Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape is continuing with a sit-in at the council chambers, protesting about the failure of transformation at the university. Rhodes University has been plagued by allegations of racism after a white student allegedly called another the 'K' word on social media. The Black Student Movement now accuses the university of not taking racism incidents seriously. Students say this is not the first time black students are being called the 'K' word at this institution. The BSM has vowed to occupy the council chambers indefinitely, demanding lasting solutions to these problems. They've threatened to make the chambers their home if their grievances are not met.
TUT to lay criminal charges after violent protest:Friday 19 September 2014. TUT spokesperson says it is unclear why violence has erupted.
(TUT students) Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) says criminal charges will be brought against perpetrators of a violent student protest at Soshanguve campus. This comes after students allegedly set alight a security vehicle on Thursday, and torching some of the university's buildings despite an agreement between management and (SRC) to end the strike. TUT spokesperson Willa de Ruyter says it is unclear why violence has erupted. "The SAPS was called in on Thursday to ensure the safety of students, especially those in residences. "It's not clear why the violence has erupted especially after an agreement was reached from Wednesday night between leadership structures and management.
Seventy UKZN students arrested:Monday 17 February 2014. The disgruntled students are demanding funding and accommodation.
(SABC) Seventy students have been arrested at the University of KwaZulu Natal's Edgewood Campus in Pinetown, west of Durban. This follows a students' protest which turned violent. Students have been on strike since last week.