By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Wits University striking students marched to the house of the university’s vice-chancellor, Zeblon Vilakazi in Parktown, North of Johannesburg.
The students demonstrated outside Vilakazi’s home in a bid to put pressure on the university to meet its demands over accommodation issues they have been raising since the start of their protest last Tuesday.
It is understood that Vilakazi lives with his family, including children who are under the age of 12.
According to the institution, around 200 students marched to the property after the student representative council (SRC) rejected a number of the concessions the university had presented during negotiations to end the protests.
“We are managing the situation as best as we can. However, while we continue to find solutions to these systemic challenges, this behaviour is unacceptable as a means to resolve conflict,” the university said.
“We condemn all forms of violence and implore the students, student leaders, and all other parties to exercise maximum restraint.”
The university said it had met the student representatives from the SRC to discuss their demands after the student body rejected certain concessions.
However, the SRC said they were still open to further negotiations with management about their demands.
SRC president Aphiwe Mnyamana addressed hundreds of students at the university’s main campus in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Sunday night on the outcome of a meeting they held with Wits management over the weekend.
“The university said it will, on a case-by-case basis, allow students owing debt to register for the 2023 academic year. First, students with PCD (proceed with no conditions) and RET (repeat the year) are excluded from the concessions and thus will not be allowed to register despite being academically eligible, and this concession is only being extended for this year only. Our fight as the SRC is to ensure that all demands continue for generations to come in order to prevent the SRC from fighting for the same struggles,” Mnyamana said.