You can almost set your watch to mark the end of January as the start of annual protest season at the University of KZN and Durban University of Technology.
This year was no different. On January 31 there were protests at UKZN’s Westville and Pietermaritzburg campuses and an “attempt was made to set alight an office at Howard College”.
Nine vehicles were petrol-bombed at DUT’s Pietermaritzburg campus and guards’ huts were also set alight, in addition to vandalism on its Berea campus.
While the academic programme continued online at both institutions, officials and student representatives were called to account for the unrest by the parliamentary portfolio committee on higher education, science and innovation on Wednesday.
UKZN vice-chancellor Nana Poku said the unrest at the university was the result of organised crime from “individuals affiliated to student movements” more than any disagreements with the Student Representative Council (SRC).
Poku said the university had been engaging with the SRC since last year to ensure the 2022 academic year would start without any disturbances.
“It is with some discomfort that I admit what we are dealing with as an institution isn’t necessarily a discordance between ourselves and the SRC. It is fundamentally organised criminality on our campuses, partly by individuals with affiliations to the student movement.
“Recent forensic investigation reveals a collusion between elements of the student body and the service providers. We are looking into that, and as an institution we take a very dim view of that and will report that through the appropriate structures and seek a formal regress through the legal process.”
Nontuthuko Mbhele, university CFO, said some of the key demands that came up during unrest were not consistent with those of the SRC, which understands the financial position of the university.
The protesters demanded that all unregistered students be registered without making payments for registration or towards their student debts, and that more buildings be leased for student accommodation.
“The demands we hear from whichever grouping of people that is instigating the unrest on campuses and looking of our engagements with the SRC, these are not unresolved demands or the demands being made because the SRC understands where the university is in terms of finances or operations.”
She detailed how the institution had already made significant financial clearance concessions — including allowing unemployed students to register without settling their historical debt in full when that total debt stood at R2.2bn at the end of 2021 — and any additional concessions would risk pushing the university into bankruptcy.
“When we look into the cash costs of these concessions, they are in excess of R1bn, and if we were to provide free registration to all our students that would be in a region of about R2.3bn. It’s a significant amount for a university of our size and clearly any additional concessions are not something that we are able to provide. Also, the notion of free enrolment is not in government policy and therefore not something the university can venture into.”
Sphelele Madondo, SRC secretary-general, told the committee unrest emanate from NSFAS, “which the university and SRC have no control of”.
She admitted the SRC has had constant engagements with management and reached agreements, such as extending the registration period to Friday and the willingness to consider registrations even after that on a case-by-case basis.
However, there are still outstanding issues.
“Residence spaces is currently an issue we are not finding common ground on with the management.”
On the call for additional accommodation, Poku said UKZN had doubled its accommodation capacity to 49% of all students since 2017, one of the largest ratios in the sector.
“Also, at the end of each year we are left with close to 1,500 empty beds, yet at the start of the year we are put under tremendous pressure to acquire more buildings.”
DUT registrar Dr Maditsane Nkonoane attributed the unrest to “vested political and socioeconomic interest”, alleged collusion between a student organisation and security, NSFAS challenges and general resistance to online registration.
Nkonoane said: “It can be traced largely to the EFFSC-led SRC’s annual Sizofunda Ngenkani campaign in response to the national call by the EFF for prospective students to ‘swamp campuses’ even if it meant as walk-ins who had not applied in 2021 for 2022. This was done via counter-communication through fake circulars.”
He alleged there was evidence of interference relating to security insourcing which resulted in deliberate delays in providing security, leaving staff and university resources vulnerable to intimidation and destruction of property.
The institution added that the forced closure of its campuses meant it had to postpone 128 exams, leaving the affected students with one module to graduate. It also had to spend almost R1m on private security due to poor SAPS and public order policing.
Nkonoane said: “On accommodation, the university revealed that about 5,000 of the 19,000 pre-allocated students had checked into the university-owned and leased residences as of March 1 with beds still remaining for those who are still registering and late residence applicants, but they will only use accredited private accommodation once they have run out of beds in their residences (owned and leased).”
He said a recent incident in which students camped outside the Steve Biko campus was orchestrated.
“The recent widely circulated pictures of students sleeping on pavements was a well-choreographed escapade by those disgruntled with temporary accommodation with persistent insistence on being placed in private accommodation.”
On Wednesday night, several other students slept outside the security gates. They claimed they were being given the runaround by DUT with regard to the higher certificate qualification.
SRC deputy president Onwabe Magadla told the committee they were aware that university staff were also unhappy about developments at DUT.
“The unrest is not caused by students only because there are many stakeholders who are not happy with the management and some policies at DUT.”
He cited the university’s vaccination policy as an issue. Under the policy, students and staff who are vaccinated are allowed access, while those who are not are allowed to continue with their studies online. DUT has facilitated vaccination sites on campus as well as providing alternative medical sites for staff and students. Students who choose not to be vaccinated have the option of providing self-funded PCR tests to gain access.
“They are essentially making it mandatory for all stakeholders of DUT.”
He also expressed frustration with the decision to start online classes while other students were still trying to register and others had yet to receive data provision and residences.
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