Students from Sol Plaatje University (SPU) have joined the ongoing national protest across the country, calling for the government to fund previously disadvantaged students. On Friday 19 March, the students held a peaceful march to the Premier’s office to hand in a memorandum of demands.
The Student Representative Council (SRC) Chairperson at the University, Olebogeng Mokwene, says students must be given a chance to register regardless of how much they owe the university.
Mokwene indicated that first-year students’ laptops are on life support, making it difficult to do their work. He says they are calling on the management to reduce the price of these laptops by 50%.
“We managed to submit our memorandum of demands to the University and Premier Dr. Zamani Saul. We cannot allow students to be excluded from furthering their studies because they do not have money. The Premier must address several demands. We hope he will come with the necessary interventions so that we can start with our academic year,” said Mokwene.
“The SRC will start a fundraising initiative to help those who do not have money. We are calling on everyone to assist where they can,” he added.
Mokwene says they will continue to protest until their demands are met.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Andrew M Crouch, says they support peaceful protests. However, they will not tolerate violent acts or intimidation of staff members and fellow students.
“It is a priority for University Management to protect all staff, students, and property and we will take every measure to do so. Students who violate University rules or who engage in unlawful activities on campus will be subjected to internal disciplinary codes. Should this behaviour occur outside of the university premises, then the public order police will act as is their mandate,” warned Crouch.
Crouch says that the university had to suspend the orientation programme for first-year students because of the protest action. However, he hopes that everything should be back to normal as soon as possible. The Vice-Chancellor called on the SRC and students to undertake their protests peacefully.
Upon receiving the memorandum, Dr Saul said that they would work with all stakeholders to ensure that students’ challenges are addressed. The Premier promised to provide feedback within seven working
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