By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The University of the Witwatersrand has suspended five students after violent protests both on campus and on the streets of Braamfontein.
“We issued multiple suspension orders to disruptors who transgressed the university’s rules, the legal office will continue to work through the evidence submitted by the Wits community to ensure that perpetrators who can be identified, are charged, the university’s spokesperson Shirona Patel said on Friday morning.”
The suspensions come amid the ongoing student protests against financial exclusion, historical debt and lack of funding and accommodation.
Students have been protesting for most of the week.
Patel said some of the students who were part of the violence were academically excluded.
“During the course of the suspension processes and other investigations, we found that some of the perpetrators who were committing infractions were academically excluded. Some had failed multiple times, had lost their funding, and were now demanding to be registered.”
She added that engagements with the SRC have not yielded any results.
“We have reached out to the Students’ Representative Council but they have declined to engage at this stage. We will continue these efforts through the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs.
“All university activities are continuing as scheduled and lecturers and academics have been requested to make up for any time lost and to upload relevant material to Ulwazi.”
Meanwhile student protests have intensified this morning, March 3, despite the university’s decision to suspend some students who are protesting.
The SRC has insisted on “shutting down” the university’s campus until the student’s demands are met.