Wits student representative council (SRC) compliance officer Karabo Matloga said it was unfair for classes to continue when some students were homeless because they could not afford accommodation.
He accused the university of evicting students sleeping in its libraries.
“The university is taking time to respond to our demands, so we have to put pressure by protesting because we can’t take it any more.”
Meanwhile, the university’s senior executive team said in a statement that the decision by the SRC and students to protest came as a surprise as they are working with them to resolve the issues.
“The university has secured 350 beds from accredited private accommodation service providers to assist students in need, including those that have been sleeping in libraries and other spaces. These students are being assisted on a daily basis as beds become available. The university and private service providers are also navigating NSFAS’s decision to cap accommodation costs at R45,000 per annum, which is regrettable,” they said.
The university added that it has matched the fundraising efforts of the SRC.
“There is a pot of R12.4m available in the SRC Fund for qualifying students.”
According to the university, the academic programme will proceed as scheduled, but the SRC has said protests will continue until the vice-chancellor convenes a meeting with the university council and responds to their demands.
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WATCH | Wits students protest on campus over accommodation and fees
Academic programme to proceed as scheduled but SRC says protests will continue until their demands are met
Lectures at Wits University were disrupted by student protests on Wednesday.
Students are calling for an end to financial exclusion, the cap on residence allowances from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to be scrapped and a lack of accommodation rectified.
Third-year BA student Kenneth Strydom, who is a NSFAS beneficiary, said though he didn’t agree with the methods of raising grievances, the reasons behind the campus protests resonated with him.
“The amount of money we get for accommodation is not sufficient so we have to pay money out of our own pocket to stay in res.”
Strydom said he considered himself lucky to find accommodation close to the R45,000 allocated [per annum], but he still needed to top it up to make up the deficit.
“I have to top up around R750 and haven’t been able to do that for this month because it’s been hectic. I think about a lot of the other students who can’t afford to pay the extra amount and can’t live in res.”
Wits students protest 'accommodation crisis and financial exclusion'
Wits student representative council (SRC) compliance officer Karabo Matloga said it was unfair for classes to continue when some students were homeless because they could not afford accommodation.
He accused the university of evicting students sleeping in its libraries.
“The university is taking time to respond to our demands, so we have to put pressure by protesting because we can’t take it any more.”
Meanwhile, the university’s senior executive team said in a statement that the decision by the SRC and students to protest came as a surprise as they are working with them to resolve the issues.
“The university has secured 350 beds from accredited private accommodation service providers to assist students in need, including those that have been sleeping in libraries and other spaces. These students are being assisted on a daily basis as beds become available. The university and private service providers are also navigating NSFAS’s decision to cap accommodation costs at R45,000 per annum, which is regrettable,” they said.
The university added that it has matched the fundraising efforts of the SRC.
“There is a pot of R12.4m available in the SRC Fund for qualifying students.”
According to the university, the academic programme will proceed as scheduled, but the SRC has said protests will continue until the vice-chancellor convenes a meeting with the university council and responds to their demands.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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