UJ accused of court order non-complianceUJ20 accuse varsity of double dealing
UJ - After winning an interdict against the University of Johannesburg, suspended students accused the university of imposing additional conditions to the court order.
The interdict upheld the suspension but ordered the university to allow the students to register and attend lectures pending a disciplinary outcome.
The 20 students were suspended after participating in a protest on 27 January over the lack of funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
According to the suspended students, dubbed the UJ20, the university refused them entry onto the Kingsway campus to register on 14 February for several hours, and only conceded after police intervened and served them with the court order.
The students further allege that they were informed they would only be allowed on campus at specific times to attend lectures. This meant they had to provide campus security with their timetables.
These measures, the students feel, restrict their access to the campus and by extension their access to facilities such as the library, computer laboratories and medical facilities.
They accuse the university of being “unreasonable, unfair and violating the court order”.
The deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke, addressed the allegations and said the university complied with the order and allowed the suspended students to register.
He added that the students would be allowed on campus from the time of their first lecture to the time of their last lecture.
“This [measure] will also allow them time to visit the library, if this is necessary, to attend tutorials and to consult with their lecturers,” he said.
He denied the university had imposed additional measures and maintained it had acted in a fair and reasonable manner.
