UPDATE: Wits postpones face-to-face registrations

UPDATE: 11 January 2016 – 4pm – Given the disruptions to the registration processes at Wits University on 11 January, the university senior executive team has decided to postpone face-to-face registrations at Hall 29 for today and 12 January.
This came after the university earlier today confirmed that disruptions have occurred in Senate House and Hall 29 where students were registering. The university stated that some student groups were protesting against academic and financial exclusions as part of the national #FeesMustFall campaign.

Management was engaging with the student groups to try to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

The university’s deputy vice-chancellor Prof. Tawana Kupe urged all health sciences students to register online today, and all engineering and the built environment students to register online on 12 January.

Kupe said, “You will be able to do so until Friday, 15 January. All other students will also still be able to register online, as per the normal schedule.” He added that for the health sciences students, and engineering and the built environment students who are unable to register online, the university was putting in place a telephonic registration process. For telephonic registrations, students can call 011 717 1888 which became active as of 3pm this afternoon, and if there is a problem with students registering telephonically due to large volumes of calls, students are urged to e-mail registrar@wits.ac.za
Those who want to pay fees can go to the bank and provide their student number as a reference number. The account details to use are as follows:

Standard Bank
Branch: Braamfontein
Branch code: 004805
Account No: 002891697
Reference: Place student number here
E-mail: feesoffice.finance@wits.ac.za

Kupe said, “We are working towards re-activating face-to-face registrations at Hall 29 from 13 January. We will communicate further in this regard.”
Students from the faculties of science, humanities, commerce, law and management are urged to register online or to wait for further communication regarding the re-activation of face-to-face registration.

“We respect the right to protest and we support the call for free education for poor students. However, we cannot allow the financial sustainability of the university to be compromised. We urge all students to allow the registration process to continue undisrupted,” Kupe concluded.

UPDATE: 11 January 2016, 1pm –   According to the WitsSRC #FMF2016 Twitter page has stated they have reopened the registration process in another venue.

The SRC together with the students say that an injury to one is an injury to all.  The SRC demand for free registration through the adequate implementation of the First Payment Plan  and  a solid commitment that no student must be financially excluded throughout the year.

The SRC demand:

• We call for the implementation of the R2.6 billion commitment made by the state with regards to student debt clearance
• We call for free registration through the adequate implementation of the First Payment Plan
• We demand a solid commitment by the university that no student must be financially excluded throughout the year
• We as the SRC reject the suggestion of a payment deadline for registration of 31 March 2016
• Once we are in the system we will not be excluded from it
• We call for a commitment by the university and the state in a road map towards the realization of Free education
• We call for the adequate implementation of all commitments made by the university and the state of 2015 regarding students & workers

The SRC will await for the universities response to their demands.

Read the full statement released by Wits SRC by clicking here.

INITIAL REPORT: In a statement, the SRC said January 2016 saw students confronted with “a similar problem that we faced a year ago”.

The year seems to be off to a rocky start as students shut down the registration process.

The SRC stated that the finance office had been shut down and all outstanding National Student Financial Aid Scheme debt should be cancelled.

According to Wits SRC #FMF2016 Twitter page, private security has been brought onto campus.

The SRC said it had raised R4.4 million to assist students, but said despite the campaign to raise money “no amount of fundraising can solve the higher education crisis”.

This is a developing story. Details to follow.

Its been 40yrs since the Soweto Uprising, the spirit of Mashinini, lives in us, we will fight and we will win #FeesMustFall #OccupyUJ

— UJFeesMustFall (@UJFMF) January 11, 2016

What's going on at Wits right now is making me so happy. #FeesMustFall

— Mending 🌻 (@Mphumzi_Non) January 11, 2016

https://twitter.com/GetDownAdam/status/686476076600717316

And so #FeesMustFall continues, until every student is able to receive the education that was promised, without financial exclusion.

— TheStudentsProject (@TheStudentsProj) January 11, 2016

UPDATE > #FeesMustFall returns to Wits campus https://t.co/4YCiNQG09h pic.twitter.com/ZrlHakzXVH

— The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) January 11, 2016

https://twitter.com/AzaniaNews/status/686481015376756736

#FeesMustFall A protest by Wits students is underway. First years queuing around them for registration. GW pic.twitter.com/VpJx6iFqrn

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 11, 2016