StudiesMustStop as fee protesters reprise their old schtick

Student protesters who want criminal charges against them withdrawn have gone back to FeesMustFall first principles by shutting down classes.

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology has been shut since Tuesday and will reopen only on Monday after some of the students staged a sit-in at the administration building on the Bellville campus. They were joined by CPUT staff with separate grievances.

Shaheed Mohamed‚ of the Workers International Vanguard Party‚ said the university was dragging its feet in having charges stemming from protests withdrawn. But he was not able to say how many students were affected by the problem.

“Some have been facing charges since 2015 and some have since graduated and [want to] move to other provinces but they can’t because they have to appear in court in Cape Town‚” he said.

“These students have asked management to write a letter to the National Prosecuting Authority requesting that the charges be dropped. CPUT has been delaying‚ which has caused a lot of upset.”

A 23-year-old food technology graduate charged with public violence said he had had to turn down a job in Gauteng in order to meet the investigator and attend court monthly.

He said he was staying away from the current negotiations and protests because he was “traumatised” by nine days in jail after his arrest.

“If there is a group striking or something‚ I'm afraid. I don't want to go there‚” he said.

Mohamed said CPUT had failed to provide many staff members with payslips and had not made "statutory deductions" such as UIF.

Workers had been trying since last year to get contract problems resolved but Mohamed said the university had delayed the process.

A special meeting of the university council yesterday said a solution had been found to the workers’ grievances.

“The criminal charges against the students are beyond the university’s jurisdiction‚ however the university will continue to pursue the dropping of charges‚" said the memorandum from the meeting.

“It must however be noted that council respects the rule of law and appeals to all members of the university community to do the same.”