Westville campus joins #FeesMustFall campaign
Students are unhappy with proposed fee increments and lack of security in residences.
UKZN Westville Campus has joined the national #FeesMustFall national shutdown campaign across universities on Wednesday, 21 October.
Universities including Wits and UCT have exprienced unrest, violence from students and police confrontation over the past week.
ANCYL Westville campus chairman, Prince Mthembu, said, “We want free education for all, we will down tools and ensure all academic activity is suspended till we are heard.”
Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO) leadership said they are 100 per cent for the ‘fees must fall’ campaign, however they do condemn any violence.
“We encourage all students to participate and fight the under-funding of South African universities,” said Yusuf Cassim, DASO leader.
Mthembu said they want standardised fees for residences, “There are students who pay R20 000 and others pay R25 000, yet the services are not the same, the fees should be equal for all.”
Vice-chancellor and principal, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, addressed the students, yet student leaders feel he only addressed a few of the issues.
Van Jaarsveld has suspended all academic programmes for Tursday, 22 October and Friday, 23 October.
“Th e academic programme will resume on Monday, 26 October,” daid van Jaarsveld.
Mthembu feels that the arrest of students and high security measures during the protests are put in place to make the students fear, while there is a lack of proper security in some residences.
