Wits student tests the law

A budding engineer who went to court after scoring 41% in an exam is suing Wits University for a third time.

In his latest lawsuit, filed at the High Court in Johannesburg, Joshua van der Meer wants to compel the university to schedule a special supplementary exam no later than Friday.

But he does not want his lecturers to set the paper or mark it.

In June he abandoned a legal attempt to compel Wits to review his supplementary environmental engineering exam, in which he scored 41%, after the institution agreed to let him and 18 other students who failed to write a "special supplementary examination".

In his first lawsuit last year he compelled the university to allow him to sit his third-year structural engineering semester test in August. He scored 79%.

Last month lecturer Precious Biyela wrote to students in the school of civil and environmental engineering slating university management for scheduling a special examination for "one student".

Biyela accused the student of lying about her by claiming she did not teach his class reaction kinetics and chlorine disinfection.

She also accused Wits of bending over backwards for one "rich student".

Vice-chancellor Adam Habib postponed the special examination scheduled for June 30 to "engage the students".

But, in his affidavit, Van der Meer accuses the university of "unilaterally cancelling the examination at the last moment".

The university is defending the lawsuit, which is yet to be heard.