Unisa gets interdict against student leader, workers to halt protests
Student Mpho Morolane and 146 former temporary employees are not allowed to take part in protest action within 150m of any Unisa campus entrance.
The University of South Africa (Unisa).
The University of South Africa (Unisa) has obtained an urgent interdict to stop a student leader and former temporary workers from participating in protest action, carrying weapons of any kind, taking hostages and disrupting university activities.
Acting Judge Elmarie van der Schyf this week granted an urgent interdict against student Mpho Morolane and 146 former temporary employees, restraining them from taking part in protest action within 150m of the entrance of any Unisa campus, study centre or exam centre, and from participating in protest action without the university’s prior approval.
The interdict also stopped them from taking part in, or instigating, disruptive or riotous behaviour that could result in damage to university property, or infringing the rights of staff members, students and visitors.
The police and public order policing unit were also authorised and requested to take steps to ensure that access to Unisa’s premises was not impeded and to prevent injury to persons and damage to property.
Unisa’s registrar, Dr Faroon Goolam, said in court papers they started a process in 2015 to appoint temporary seasonal staff needed in the exam and assignment department. The temporary staff were recruited through labour brokers, but their contracts terminated at the end of September this year.
He said Marolane, who faced expulsion for his participation in violent protest action at Unisa in 2016, was the driving force behind protests by the former workers.
Goolam referred to protest action at the university, led by Morolane, in September and October, when protesters sang revolutionary songs, traumatised students by disrupting their studies and caused staff to leave because of safety concerns.
He said a number of students were killed, some staff were injured and hundreds of millions of rands damage caused to property during the 2016 fees must fall protests.
– ilsedl@citizen.co.za
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