CPUT readies for exams after violence

Exams will continue as scheduled at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)‚ said spokesperson Lauren Kansley. This follows a spate of violence at the institution on Monday.

“There were no overnight reports. I spoke with the security this morning‚” Kansley said.

On Monday students and law enforcement officials clashed when protesting students disrupted classes. According to reports‚ a classroom was torched. But the motive behind the violence at the institution is unclear. Some students are allegedly upset over the suspension of four student leaders.

As for staff issues‚ Kansley said that insourced workers would have been inducted at the institution on Tuesday but workers have not reported for duty since Monday.

She said the university has put measures in place to ensure that all academic activities will continue as planned.

“This time round‚ three years later‚ we don’t want to shut down. We have done that in the past. We just feel like we need to remain open even though there are pockets of instability on some campuses‚” she said.

CPUT has six campuses‚ which include Cape Town central‚ Bellville‚ Wellington‚ Athlone‚ Granger Bay and Mowbray.

“There are thousands of students who are able to write their exams and get to class today so a shutdown is something that we will try to completely avoid‚” Kansley said.

Meanwhile there had been threats by students at the University of Cape Town to disrupt classes.

Speaking to TimesLIVE last week‚ vice-chancellor Max Price said a shutdown would cost UCT as much as R500-million. Price vowed that the university would expel students who interfere with academic activities.

A UCT student activist who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of “victimisation by the university” said that Price was using “intimidation tactics” by deploying private security on campus ahead of the shutdown. However‚ the stoppage did not go ahead as planned.