Wits protest: Suspended student speaks

One of the five students who were suspended at Wits University amid protests said he has been told to vacate his residence inside the campus before the end of Monday evening.

On Thursday the university announced the suspension of a group it said were disrupters, after violent protests at the university, which spread to the Johannesburg CBD.  

Penipeni Tshabalala, 22, from Free State is one of the suspended students. He told TimesLIVE on Monday he doesn’t know where he would sleep and considering that his home is in another province, he didn’t have time to make arrangements to go home.  

“They are actually saying that I should sort myself out. They are also saying that I shouldn’t be on campus. It means that by the end of this day, I have to find myself a place to sleep.  

“I don’t know what I am going to do, literally the university is saying to me leave our institution but where am I going to go?” asked the student who says he is registered for an honours degree in translation.  

He said he received a suspension email from the University on Friday, and a hard copy was also dropped by an official at his residence.

“Today [Monday] in the morning they came to make me sign the acknowledgment that I have received the letter that they gave me on Friday. After that I am being told I must leave the campus,” he said.  

He said even the suspension came at a short notice with no prior notice, nor an opportunity to defend and state why he should not be suspended.

“The suspension letter stated a charge and they said regarding this charge they are also suspending me,” he said.  

Tshabalala said the university’s decision was to intimidate students by using both internal and external processes which include lawyers at the university and from an external company.  

Karabo Matloga a member of the student representative council (SRC) said during a meeting on Saturday, the university indicated that they would allow suspended students to stay at the campus residence and will relook at the suspensions and withdraw them.  

“Today [Monday] members who were suspended who are part of the protest were told by the campus control that they must evacuate the building,” said Matloga.

The SRC announced on its Twitter page that Mabuza Attorneys and advocate Dali Mpofu have availed themselves to legally assist the SRC through legal proceedings with the university.  

“Wits sent the entire SRC letters that they are going to sue us. The letters are written by ENS, the best law firm in Africa, so we had to find someone who is the best and understands our fight,” he said.  

On Sunday night, students took their protest outside the home of vice-chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi. Matloga said their intention was to demonstrate their plight and intended to cause no harm.

“I mean who goes on TV and says that we are going to burn the house and actually burn it? 

“Our fight is not to destroy the university infrastructure. We understand the consequences. Our fight is not to destroy facilities that are there to assist us in teaching and learning because we already have the limited ones,” he said.  

The university’s spokesperson Shirona Patel said accommodation at the institution for all students ranges from R51,000 to R109,000 per annum depending on the residence, facilities offered, how many people share a room, and whether it includes meals (up to three a day).  

She disputed that the university was suing students.

“We did issue the SRC leaders with a cease and desist letter on Friday, which instructs them to cease and desist from disrupting classes, blocking entrances or damaging property on Wits campuses,” she said.  

Patel promised to find out about the suspension and if suspended students were asked to leave the university residence.

TimesLIVE

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